Euphorbia grandicornis
Species of plant From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Euphorbia grandicornis, the cow's horn plant, is a succulent plant of the Euphorbiaceae or spurge family. It is native to the KwaZulu-Natal province and the Northern Provinces of South Africa and to Mozambique and Eswatini.[2][4]
| Euphorbia grandicornis | |
|---|---|
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| Euphorbia grandicornis in the Jardín de Cactus in Guatiza on Lanzarote in the Canary Islands | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Malpighiales |
| Family: | Euphorbiaceae |
| Genus: | Euphorbia |
| Species: | E. grandicornis |
| Binomial name | |
| Euphorbia grandicornis Blanc (1888) | |
| Subspecies[2] | |
| |
| Synonyms[3] | |
|
synonyms of E. grandicornis subsp. grandicornis:
| |
The specific epithet "grandicornis" means "with large horns," and refers to the pairs of spines, which look like the horns of a bull.[5]
Description
Euphorbia grandicornis is a shrub with succulent, spiny stems that reaches a size of 0.5–2 m in height. Small leaves are formed between the spines but later drop off; the stems do the bulk of the photosynthesis. It is much branched from the base, with thorns, the branches 3-angled, erect or ascending, very deeply constricted in segments, subsagittate-ovate or reniform-sagittate, 5–13 cm long and 5 – 15 cm in diameter.[5][6][7]
The fruit is showy and pops open when ripe.[6]
It is found in dense dry mixed forest, on granite slopes, and on rocks, at elevations of 40 to 700 meters.[8]
Subspecies
Two subspecies are accepted:[2]
- Euphorbia grandicornis subsp. grandicornis – Mozambique, Eswatini, Northern Provinces, and KwaZulu-Natal
- Euphorbia grandicornis subsp. sejuncta L.C.Leach – north-central Mozambique
Uses
It is grown as a houseplant in temperate regions.[9]
Chemical constituents of E. grandicornis have been studied for their use in cancer treatment.[10]
References
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