AgroForestryTree Database
Euphorbia tirucalli
 Species identityEcology and distributionPropagation and managementFunctional usesPests and diseasesAdditional InfoBibliographyImages |
Species identity
TaxonomySynonym(s)
Common names
(Amharic) : kinchib
(Arabic) : injil
(English) : finger euphorbia, Indian spurge tree, milk bush, mnyara, pencil tree, rubber euphorbia
(Filipino) : bali bali
(French) : arbre de Saint Sebastien, euphorbe effile euphorbe, garde maison, tirucalli
(Malay) : kayu patah, tentulang, tulang, tulang-tulang
(Somali) : dana
(Spanish) : Alfabeto chino, Antena, Esqueleto, Palito
(Swahili) : mtupa mwitu, mwasi, utupa
(Thai) : khia cheen, khia thian
(Vietnamese) : san h[oo] xanh, x[uw] [ow]ng c[as]
Botanic description
Euphorbia tirucalli is an unarmed shrub or small tree 4-12 (-15) m high with brittle succulent branchlets 7 mm thick often produced in whorls, green and longitudinally finely striated, with white to yellowish latex. Leaves few, fleshy, linear-lanceolate, to 15 x 2 mm, present only at the tips of young branchlets and very quickly deciduous; extreme tips of young leafy branchlets sparsely tomentose, with curled brown hairs, soon glabrescent; glandular stipules minute, dark brown. Cymes 2-6 congested at the apices of the branchlets, forking 2-4 times, with rays less than 1 mm long producing a dense cluster of cyathia developing only male flowers, or occasionally a few female flowers also present, or cyathia fewer and only female flowers developing, the whole cyme may be glabrous or tomentose, with curled brown hairs, especially the involucres and lobes; bracts rounded, 2 x 15 mm sharply keeled, usually glabrous except on the margin. False flowers (cyathia) subsessile, 3 x 4 mm, with cup-shaped involucres; glands 5, subglobose to transversely elliptic, 0.5 mm long. Male involucres: bracteoles linear with plumose apices; stamens 4.5 mm long; an aborted female flower is occasionally present. Female involucres: bracteoles present and occasionally a few male flowers; perianth distinctly 3-lobed below the tomentose ovary, with lobes 0.5 mm long; styles 2 mm long, joined at the base, with thickened deeply bifid recurved apices. Fruit a glabrescent capsule, exserted on a tomentose pedicel to 1 cm long, subglobose, 8 x 8.5 mm. Seeds ovoid, 3.5 x 2.8 mm, smooth, buff speckled with brown and with a dark brown ventral line; caruncle 1 mm across. The generic name commemorates Euphorbos the Numidian (N.E. Algeria) physician of King Juba of Mauretania c.54 B.C. The name tirucalli is a native name from Malabar in India.
Ecology and distribution
History of cultivationE. tirucalli is a widely planted hedge plant long used in agroforestry systems in east Africa. Though originally believed to be from India, its exact origin is uncertain.
Natural Habitat
It is normally found in dry bushland thickets and naturalizes easily in brushwood, open woodland and grassland up to 2 000 m.
Geographic distribution
Native : Angola, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius, Rwanda, Senegal, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zanzibar
Exotic : Brazil, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam
Biophysical limitsAltitude: up to 2 000 m Soil type: Appears to grow on almost any soil type.
Reproductive Biology
Plants usually produce male flowers. Female flowers or plants much less common. Plants with bisexual cyathia also occur, although the female flower apparently often aborts. E. tirucalli flowers in October and fruits from November-December and is pollinated by insects.
Propagation and management
Propagation methodsBranch cuttings grow with ease, rooting quickly to form dense bushes which if left soon become naturalized and forms a small tree. Cuttings are obtained from older branches; left to dry for a day before planting.Tree Management
It coppices well at 20-30 cm height. Under semi arid conditions the regrowth of the finger euphorbia is excellent. A density of 10 000-20 000 plants is normal when grown as a fuel crop. When planted at a spacing of 1m x 1m it produced 120 t/ha fresh material and 14 t/ha dry matter after 1 year, yielding 40-88 kg of crude oil, 135-213 kg of sugar and 1.8 t of bagasse.
Germplasm Management
Germination is epigeous in E. tirucalli.
Functional uses
ProductsFuel: Yields charcoal suitable for use in gunpowder. Its use as a source of hydrocarbon has been investigated by a number of authors, the latex hydrocarbon is largely a C30 triterpenoid which on cracking yields high octane gasoline. It is estimated that 1-2 t of crude oil can be obtained per ha per year from E. tirucalli. The gross energy value of E. tirucalli biomass is 17 600 kJ/kg. The biomass can be converted into gas, liquid fuels and solid fuels such as pellets, briquettes and charcoal. Timber: The wood is white, close grained and fairly hard. It is used for toys, rafters and veneers. Gum or resin: The sap has strong fixative power and is used on the east African coast for fastening knife-blades to wood handles and spear-heads to shafts. Latex or rubber: The latex is an emulsion of about 30% (principally euphol) terpenes in water. During the Second World War the latex was used in South Africa in the development of a rubber substitute, but this proved to be unstable and unprofitable due to the high latex resin content. Poison: The latex is highly poisonous, causing severe injury to the eye, irritation and vesication from contact, emesis and purgation from ingestion. It is also piscicidal and insecticidal. E. tirucalli showed strong activity against Colletotrichum capsici, Fusarium pallidoroseum, Botryodiplodia theobromae, Alternaria alternata, Penicillium citrinum, Phomopsis caricae-papayae and Aspergillus niger in paper disc diffusion sensitivity tests. The extracts of E. tirucalli contain a number of esters of the tetracyclic diterpenoid phorbol, many of which have been shown to act as tumour promoters (cocarcinogens). Their co-carcinogenic effect on lymphoblastoid cells poses a real threat in Africa where drinking water is drawn around the plants. Latex of E. tirucalli was highly toxic to the parasitic nematodes. Hoplolaimus indicus, Helicotylenchus indicus and Tylenchus filiformis in vitro, toxicity increased with an increase in the concentration of latex and exposure period. Medicine: The young branches can be roasted then chewed for sore throat. The boiled root juice acts as an emetic in cases of snake bite, and also for sterility in women. Caution should be observed in making medicinal preparations of this plant due to its high toxicity. Poultices from the stem are applied to heal broken bones. In Peninsular Malaysia, a poultice of the roots or stems has been applied to ulceration of the nose, haemarrhoids and swellings. Root scrapings, mixed with coconut oil, are given to cure stomach-ache. Other products: An oil obtained from the latex was formerly used in linoleum, oilskin, and leather cloth industries. Methane can be produced by anaerobic fermentation of E. tirucalli latex.Services
Erosion control: Protects bare soil in dry areas from wind and water erosion. E. tirucalli fences can act as erosion breaks. Reclamation: E. tirucalli is very drought resistant and efficient in photosynthesis because of its unique photosynthetic physiology combining both the Crassulacean acid metabolism and the C3 pathways. It can be used in land reclamation programmes. In Zimbabwe plantations of E. tirucalli have succeeded in some instances at <5 000 p.p.m. in arsenic mine spoil mounds. Ornamental: Widely planted for ornamental purposes. Boundary or barrier or support: E. tirucalli is an extensively used hedge plant in rural areas of East Africa. Intercropping: The finger euphorbia is an ideal species for agroforestry offering little shade and having many other uses. Other services: The tree has a number of cultural implications in many African communities.
Pests and diseasesThe nematode Meloidogyne incognita infests E. tirucalli in India.
Bibliography
Carter S and Smith AR. 1988. Euphorbiaceae (Part 2). In: Flora of Tropical East Africa. AA Balkema, Rotterdam.Depeyre D, Isambert A and Sow D. 1994. Latex plants, a source of methane. Biofutur. 136:25-28.
Kokwaro JO. 1976. Medicinal plants of East Africa. East African Literature Bureau.
Siddiqui MA, Haseeb A and Alam MM. 1984. Toxicity of plant latex to some plant parasitic nematodes. National Academy of Sciences, Science Letters. 7(1): 1-2.
Suhaila-Mohamed et al. 1996. Antimycotic screening of 58 Malaysian plants against plant pathogens. Pesticide Science. 47(3): 259-264.
Tokarnia CH et al. 1996. Experimental study on the toxicity of some ornamental plants in cattle. Pesquisa Veterinaria Brasileira. 16(1): 5-20.
Trivedi PC, Sharma C and Datta S. 1986. New host records of the root-knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita (Kofoid & White). Indian Journal of Nematology. 16(2): 279.