Some similarities to : Many other Spurges.

Uniquely identifiable characteristics

Distinguishing Feature :

Not to be confused with : Purple Spurge [which has a similar Latin name (Euphorbia Peplis) being almost the same spelling as Euphorbia Peplus].

A small multi-branched mid-green plant which is a ubiquitous garden or arable weed familiar to many gardeners and farmers. Like all Spurges, Petty Spurge has a toxic milky latex or sap which is both toxic to ingest and caustic on the skin, inducing contact dermatitis and skin-reddening. Different spurges possess slightly differing toxins, some much more toxic than others! Those in Petty Spurge are rather mild in comparison to some other Euphorbs, such as the Pencil Tree, a non-native. A characteristic of Euphorbs are the toxic Phorbol esters. The milky sap of Petty Spurge has long been used to treat warts and freckles (one citation refers to its ability to treat 'sun-spots' although from a distance of 93 million miles this seems highly unlikely :-)).

The sap of Petty Spurge contains mostly di-terpenes of three differing types: the Jatrophane, the Pepluane (which derive their name from Petty Spurge, (Euphorbia peplus and the Ingenane types. The first two types do not induce inflammation, but the third type, the ingenane di-terpenes are responsible for the irritant and carcinogenic properties of the milky sap from Petty Spurge. The pepluane di-terpenes are represented by both pepluane and one of its esters pepluanone, which displays anti-inflammatory properties. Petty Spurge also contains the non-irritant Jatrophane esters (which are Lathyranes but without a cyclo-propane ring).

INGENANE DITERPENES The ingenane di-terpenes include 5-deoxy-ingenol which can cause conjunctivitis if it enters the eye, 20-deoxyingenol 3-O-angelate and ingenol. The most active constituent is the ingenane di-terpene ester Ingenol-3-angelate, an irritant and a co-carcinogen. Ingenol-3-angelate, an activator of the enzyme Protein kinase C (PKC), has medicinal properties, and is active against a wide variety of cancers including leukaemia, actinic keratoses and basal cell carcinomas (a non-melanoma skin cancer). Petty Spurge is now cultivated commercially in Australia for the extraction of Ingenol-3-angelate (better known as PEP005 in pharmacology) for use as a drug against cancer. The active cyclo-propane ring is shown in red, carbon numbering in blue.

STEROIDAL TRITERPENOIDS The latex of Petty Spurge contains a plethora of other compounds including the plant steroidal tri-terpenoids cycloartenol, obtusifoliol and their derivatives. Cycoartenol is a ubiquitous plant steroid that is mandatory in plants in order for them to synthesise other steroids, amongst them the toxic Sitosterol although the author can find no reference that this steroid is present in Petty Spurge - it is just shown for comparison. It will be noted that cycloartenol has an energetic strained cyclo-propane ring, depicted in red, which is likely to make it toxic and which the other sterols lack. Obtusifolia is another plant steroid produced by Petty Spurge and which is found in some vegetable oils. β-Sitosterol is also produced in Tansy, Cultivated Flax and Stinging Nettle.

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