CYPRESS SPURGE

Euphorbia Cyparissas

Spurge Family [Euphorbiaceae]  

month8may month8jun month8june month8jul month8july

flower
flower8yellow
 
inner
inner8green
 
morph
morph8actino
 
petals
petalsZ0
 
type
typeZumbel
 
stem
stem8round
 
stem
stem8milkysap stem8milkylatex
 
toxicity
toxicityZhigh
 

12th Sept 2007, Crag Inn Beer Garden, Wildboarclough, Derbyshire. Photo: © RWD
Without flowers the young plant resembles Purple Toadflax in particular the bottle-brush appearance of the foliage.


12th Sept 2007, Crag Inn Beer Garden, Wildboarclough, Derbyshire. Photo: © RWD
The foliage thins lower down revealing a reddening stem.


12th Sept 2007, Crag Inn Beer Garden, Wildboarclough, Derbyshire. Photo: © RWD
The flowers crown the summit of the plant in a congested hemisphere. Without petals, the bright yellow bracts attract attention. A whorl of wider 'leaves' encircles the point at which the flower stalks emerge. Has three prominent styles.


12th Sept 2007, Crag Inn Beer Garden, Wildboarclough, Derbyshire. Photo: © RWD
The fruit is smaller than in most other Spurges, and folded over flat onto the pair of bright yellow bracts.


12th Sept 2007, Crag Inn Beer Garden, Wildboarclough, Derbyshire. Photo: © RWD
Three styles protrude above the bracts.


12th Sept 2007, Crag Inn Beer Garden, Wildboarclough, Derbyshire. Photo: © RWD
The fruit is smallish, greenish, folded over and also has three long and prominent 'stalks' atop.


12th Sept 2007, Crag Inn Beer Garden, Wildboarclough, Derbyshire. Photo: © RWD


12th Sept 2007, Crag Inn Beer Garden, Wildboarclough, Derbyshire. Photo: © RWD
The leaves are long, linear and narrow with an abrupt triangular taper at the extremity. There is a faint mid-rib.


12th Sept 2007, Crag Inn Beer Garden, Wildboarclough, Derbyshire. Photo: © RWD
The lower leaves, sparser than those at the top, turn reddish and curl upwards before dropping off altogether.


12th Sept 2007, Crag Inn Beer Garden, Wildboarclough, Derbyshire. Photo: © RWD
Long linear leaves with slight mid-rib. Stem thick, reddening and oozes a toxic and caustic milky sap if broken.


12th Sept 2007, Crag Inn Beer Garden, Wildboarclough, Derbyshire. Photo: © RWD
Leaves end abruptly with a triangular taper. Slightly pointed at the tip.


Hybridises with :

  • Waldstein's Spurge to produce Gayer's Spurge (euphorbia × gayeri [E. waldsteinii × cyparissias])
  • Leafy Spurge to produce Euphorbia × pseudo esula [E. cyparissias × esula].

Some similarities to : Portland Spurge and to Dwarf Spurge (but that has far fewer and somewhat wider alinear leaves.

A garden plant. More likely to be found in a garden in the North of the UK; grows wild mainly in the South.

Cypress Spurge is one of 10 established alien species of Spurge.

Cypress Spurge contains a few phorbol esters of the ingenane type in the milky latex. These compounds are both irritant on contact with skin, and toxic if ingested.The phorbol esters present in Cypress Spurge are called Cyparissias Factor 6 (Cy6), Cyparissias Factor 11 (Cy11) and Cyparissias Factor 14 (Cy14).

Other toxic compounds include a steroid, euphorbon (which is actually a mixture of α-euphorbol and β-euphobol (C30 steroids).

PHORBOL ESTERS


Phorbol esters of the Ingenane type contained within Cypress Spurge. It has been impossible to determine whether any of these correspond to the previously mentioned Cy6, Cy11 or Cy14 phorbol esters, since it seems these terms are no longer used. Active cyclopropane group shown in red. They are co-carcinogens.

The caustic latex was once used to eliminate freckles and obliterate warts and skin ulcers. It has also been used to promote hair growth. Ingestion of the aerial parts of the plant, or of the milky latex, causes a progression of symptoms starting with blistering of the mouth, and lesions in the throat, through to belly pain, bloody diarrhoea, eye mydriasis, heart arrhythmia, vertigo, inflammation of the kidneys, coma leading to death in one to three days. Livestock will normally shun Spurges, but may ingest it if it is mixed in with hay.

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Distribution
 family8Spurge family8Euphorbiceaeceae
BSBI maps
genus8Euphorbia
Euphorbia

CYPRESS SPURGE

Euphorbia Cyparissas

Spurge Family [Euphorbiaceae]