Euphorbia helioscopia

Euphorbia helioscopia L., Sp. Pl. 1: 459. 1753; Hook. f., Fl. Brit. Ind. 5: 262. 1890; Collett, Fl. Siml. ed. 2: 446. 1921 (Reprint 1980); Dhaliwal & Sharma, Fl. Kullu Dist. 581. 1999; Kaur & Sharma, Fl. Sirmaur 567. 2004; Singh & Sharma, Fl. Chamba Dist. 626. 2006; Fl. China @ eFloras.org 11: 301; Fl. North Amer. @ eFloras. org vol. 12; Radcliffe- Smith, Fl. Pak @ eFloras.org p. 142.

Annual herb, 10-60 cm tall. Stem erect or ascending, branched or unbranched, usually much branched at tip, glabrous or sparsely pilose, solid or slightly fistulose. Leaves alternate; stipules absent; petiole absent or up to 0.5 mm long; leaf blade obovate-spathulate, 1-4 cm x 0.5-2.5 cm, base cuneate, attenuate, margin entire below, finely dentate towards apex, apex rounded or retuse, surfaces glabrous, venation pinnate, midvein prominent, leaves readily deciduous leaving scars. Inflorescence terminal pleiochasium forming a pseudumbel, pseudumbel flat, 5-rayed, the rays trifid, then once or twice bifid, usually without axillary rays below the pseudumbel; pseudumbel leaves 5, whorled, similar to upper stem leaves but often slightly larger; ray leaves whorled in 3’s or opposite, the lower obliquely obovate to elliptic-obovate and asymmetric at base, comparable to upper stem leaves in size, the upper +/- suborbicular and progressively smaller. Cyathia very shortly pedunculate to subsessile, peduncle pilose. Involucre campanulate, ca. 2.5 mm x 2 mm, smooth and glabrous, 4 (-5)- lobed, lobes ovate or oblong-ovate, laciniate; glands 4 (or 5), transversely ovate to elliptic, disc-like, shortly stalked, shallowly concave, greenish or greenish-yellow. Male Flowers: Many, 10-20, exserted from involucre. Pedicels articulated, 1-2.5 mm long, longer than filaments, filaments glabrous. Female Flowers: Solitary, central in involucre, pedicellate, pedicel 1.5-3 mm long. Ovary glabrous, superior, exserted on maturity, 3-locular, one ovule per loculus, placentation axile; styles 3, connate at base, ca. 1 mm long, bifid, spreading, recurved; stigmas slightly swollen. Capsules depressed-globose, trigonous-terete, 2.5-3 mm x 3-4.5 mm with 3 vertical furrows, smooth, glabrous; dehiscence by 3 rounded smooth glabrous 1-seeded cocci. Seeds ovoid or subovoid, ca. 2 mm x 1.5 mm dark brown, reticulately wrinkled, caruncle compressed, sessile, transversely ovate.

Flowering and Fruiting: January to July
Common Names: Sun Spurge, Wart Spurge, Umbrella Milkweed, Madwoman’s Milk; Hirrusseah, Dudhya, Mahabi (Hindi); Chatriwal, Gandabuti, Dudal (Punjabi)