Family:
Euphorbiaceae Juss.
Genus:
Euphorbia L.

Euphorbia ingens E.Mey. ex Boiss.

This species is accepted, and its native range is Eritrea to S. Africa.

[FZ]

Euphorbiaceae, S. Carter & L.C. Leach. Flora Zambesiaca 9:5. 2001

Morphology General Habit
Massive succulent tree to 4–12(15) m high; trunk stout simple; bark rough fissured grey.
Morphology Branches
Branches persistent from c. 3 m upwards, suberect, rebranching to form eventually a large broadly rounded crown; terminal branchlets fleshy, 4-angled, 6–12 cm wide, square in cross-section to distinctly but stoutly winged with wings to 3 cm wide, usually constricted at irregular intervals into oblong segments to 10–15 cm long or more; margins of the angles straight to sinuate bearing shallow tubercles 1–2 cm apart.
Morphology General Spines
Spine shields to 6 × 5 mm, very obtusely triangular, extending 5 mm above to include the flowering eye; spines stout, to c. 5 mm long; prickles flexible, triangular, 1.5 mm long, soon deciduous; spines and spine shields soon becoming corky, rusty-brown and disintegrating.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves to 8 × 2 cm and oblanceolate on seedlings and young growth, 3 × 3 mm and deltoid on older growth, and soon deciduous.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Cymes crowded towards the apex of the branches, 1–3 at each flowering eye, 1-forked with stout peduncles to 8–20 mm long and cyme branches 5 mm long arranged vertically; bracts to 5 × 6 mm, rounded.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences Cyathia
Cyathia 5 × 10 mm, with broadly cup-shaped involucres; glands transversely elliptic, 2 × 4 mm, touching, golden-yellow; lobes transversely elliptic, 2.2 × 3 mm.
sex Male
Male flowers many: bracteoles spathulate, plumose; stamens c. 5.5 mm long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Female flower: perianth irregularly divided into 3 or more filiform lobes 2–4 mm long, sometimes with 1 or 2 teeth; styles 3 (rarely 2), 3–3.5 mm long, joined for 1.5 mm, apices thickened, rugulose, bifid. Male flowers many: bracteoles spathulate, plumose; stamens c. 5.5 mm long.
sex Female
Female flower: perianth irregularly divided into 3 or more filiform lobes 2–4 mm long, sometimes with 1 or 2 teeth; styles 3 (rarely 2), 3–3.5 mm long, joined for 1.5 mm, apices thickened, rugulose, bifid.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Capsule shortly exserted on a stout pedicel 5 mm long, (2)3-locular, subglobose, 7 × 10 mm, fleshy, green becoming red, hardening immediately before dehiscence to 6 × 9 mm, and very obtusely (2)3-lobed.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds subglobose, slightly compressed laterally, to 4 × 3 mm, greyish-brown speckled with paler brown, smooth.

[FSOM]

M. Thulin et al. Flora of Somalia, Vol. 1-4 [updated 2008] https://plants.jstor.org/collection/FLOS

Distribution
S3; widespread in East Africa; predominant in SE Kenya
Ecology
Altitude range 0–100 m.

Native to:

Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Caprivi Strip, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, KwaZulu-Natal, Malawi, Mozambique, Northern Provinces, Rwanda, Somalia, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zaïre, Zimbabwe

Euphorbia ingens E.Mey. ex Boiss. appears in other Kew resources:

Date Reference Identified As Barcode Type Status Has image?
Jan 1, 2012 s.coll. [5] K001044590 holotype Yes
Jan 1, 2012 s.coll. [5] K001044589 holotype Yes
Mitchell, B.L., Zambia 22788.000 No
Chapman, J.D. [5846], Malawi 29047.364 No
Drege [4614], South Africa K000253383 Unknown type material Yes
Marloth, R. [5111], South Africa K000253384 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.], South Africa K000253385 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.], South Africa K000253386 Yes
Leach, L.C. [10802], Zimbabwe K000317958 Yes
Brummitt, R.K. [11218], Malawi K000317959 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.] K000253388 Yes
s.coll. [s.n.] K000253387 Yes
Apr 18, 1985 Scheffler, G. [[339]], Uganda Euphorbia candelabrum var. bilocularis K000252996 Yes
Bidgood, S. [1015], Tanzania Euphorbia candelabrum var. bilocularis 53282.000 No

First published in A.P.de Candolle, Prodr. 15(2): 87 (1862)

Accepted by

  • Bruyns, P.V. (2012). Nomenclature and typification of southern African species of Euphorbia Bothalia 42: 217-245.
  • Calane da Silva, M., Izdine, S. & Amuse, A.B. (2004). A Preliminary Checklist of the Vascular Plants of Mozambique: 1-184. SABONET, Pretoria.
  • Curtis, B. & Mannheimer, C. (2005). Tree Atlas of Namibia: 1-688. The National Botanical Research Institute, Windhoek.
  • Figueiredo, E. & Smith, G.F. (2008). Plants of Angola Strelitzia 22: 1-279. National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.
  • Govaerts, R., Frodin, D.G. & Radcliffe-Smith, A. (2000). World Checklist and Bibliography of Euphorbiaceae (and Pandaceae) 1-4: 1-1622. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  • Mannheimer, C.A. & Curtis, B.A. (eds.) (2009). Le Roux and Müller's field guide to the trees and shrubs of Namibia, rev. ed.: 1-525. Macmillan Education Namibia, Windhoek.
  • Möller, A. & Becker, R. (2019). Field guide to the succulent Euphorbias of Southern Africa: 1-320. BRIZA.
  • Strugnell, A.M. (2006). A checklist of the Spermatophytes of Mt. Mulanje, Malawi Scripta Botanica Belgica 34: 1-199.
  • Timberlake, J.R., Bayliss, J., Alves, T., Francisco, J., Harris, T., Nangoma, D. & de Sousa, C. (2009). Biodiversity and Conservation of Mchese Mountain, Malawi. Report produced under the Darwin Initiative Award 15/036: 1-71. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Literature

Kew Backbone Distributions

  • Curtis, B. & Mannheimer, C. (2005). Tree Atlas of Namibia: 1-688. The National Botanical Research Institute, Windhoek.
  • Darbyshire, I., Kordofani, M., Farag, I., Candiga, R. & Pickering, H. (eds.) (2015). The Plants of Sudan and South Sudan: 1-400. Kew publishing, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  • Figueiredo, E. & Smith, G.F. (2008). Plants of Angola Strelitzia 22: 1-279. National Botanical Institute, Pretoria.

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    Flora Zambesiaca
    http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Somalia

    Flora of Somalia
    http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
    © Copyright 2017 World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2022. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
    © Copyright 2017 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

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