Uniquely identifiable characteristics

Distinguishing Feature :

No relation to : Caper [a plant with similar name].

More likely to be found in gardens, than growing wild, and even then only in the south of the UK. It is cultivated as a garden plant, but does grow natively in woods. Escapees are usually only young plants, dying later.

Due to the presence of ingenane-type and lathyrane-type (the lathyranes are named after the latin name for Caper Spurge, Euphorbia lathyris) diterpenes Caper Spurge is toxic if eaten, although goats are not susceptible to the poisons. However, the poisons will be transferred into the milk from goats, which is then poisonous for humans to drink.

The lathyrane-type diterpenes present include Jokinol, IsoLathyrol, EpoxyLathyrol, 7-hydroxylathyrol and Lathyrol, being potent P-gp inhibitors and used in traditional Chinese medicine.

The seeds of Euphorbia lathyris contain diterpene esters:
6,20-epoxylathyrol-5,15-diacetate-3-phenylacetate
7-hydroxylathyroldiacetate-dibenzoate
lathyrol-3,15-diacetate-5-benzoate
ingenol-20-hexadecanoate, ingenol-3-hexadecanoate
ingenol-3-tetradeca-2,4,6,8,10-pentaenoate
17-hydroxyjolkinol-15,17-diacetate-3-O-cinnamate
17-hydroxyisolathyrol-5,15,17-tri-O-acetate-3-O-benzoate
lathyrol-3,15-diacetate-5-nicotinate
7-hydroxylathyrol-5,15-diacetate-3-benzoate-7-nicotinate
7-hydroxylathyrol-5-acetate-3,7-dibenzoate
ingenol-1-H-3,4,5,8,9,13,14-hepta-dehydro-3-tetradecanoate
lathyrol-3,15-diacetate-5-benzoate
ingenol-3- hexadecanoate
and lathyranoic acid.

The stem contains white latex, which is composed of 16-hydroxy-ingenol, Ingenol and long chain unsaturated fatty acid esters.

It also contains coumarins: Daphnetin, Esculetin, euphorbetin, isoeuphorbetin and Aesculetin.

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