''Euphorbia prostrata'' is a species of

spurge ''Euphorbia'' is a large and diverse genus of flowering plants, commonly called spurge, in the family Euphorbiaceae. Euphorbias range from tiny annual plants to large and long-lived trees, with perhaps the tallest being '' Euphorbia ampliphyl ...

known by the common name prostrate spurge or prostrate sandmat. It is native to the

Caribbean The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...

and certain parts of

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

. It is widely

naturalized Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-national of a country acquires the nationality of that country after birth. The definition of naturalization by the International Organization for Migration of the ...

in many other parts of the world, where it can be found in varied habitat types and in many areas grows as a roadside weed.

Description

''Euphorbia prostrata'' is an annual herb producing slender prostrate stems up to approximately long, sometimes purple-tinted in color. The oval-shaped leaves are up to long with finely toothed edges. The

inflorescence In botany, an inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a plant's Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a system of branches. An inflorescence is categorized on the basis of the arrangement of flowers on a mai ...

is a

cyathium A cyathium (: cyathia) is one of the specialised Pseudanthium, pseudanthia ("false flowers") forming the inflorescence of plants in the genus ''Euphorbia'' (Euphorbiaceae). A cyathium consists of: * Five (rarely four) bracteoles. These are sm ...

less than wide, with white petal-like appendages surrounding the actual flowers. There are four male flowers and a single female flower, the latter developing into a lobed, hairy fruit wide. ''E. prostrata'' is similar to both '' Euphorbia maculata'' and '' Euphorbia serpens'', but is often hairy on the leaves and stems, while the latter two species are often smooth. It differs from ''E. maculata'' by its less elongated and less lanceolate leaves. ''E. serpens'' by contrast has much more rounded leaves than ''E. prostrata'' with relatively larger and more conspicuous flowers. The flowers of ''E. prostrata'' do not typically show the white "petals" seen in ''E. serpens'' or ''E. maculata'' and thus flowers are hard to detect in the former species. Only ''E. maculata'' shows dark spots in the center of each leaf, but this is not always present in that species.

Medicinal use

''Euphorbia prostrata'' extract has been found effective for treatment of bleeding

hemorrhoids Hemorrhoids (or haemorrhoids), also known as piles, are vascular structures in the anal canal. In their normal state, they are cushions that help with stool control. They become a disease when swollen or inflamed; the unqualified term ''he ...

due to its contents of flavonoids, phenolics and phenolic acids. ''Euphorbia prostrata'' extract tablets have been marketed in India and the US by

Panacea Biotec Panacea Biotec is a global generic and specialty pharmaceutical and vaccine maker. It has principal offices in New Delhi, Mumbai, and Lalru (near Chandigarh). It has business interests in research, development, manufacturing and marketing of ...

Ltd.

Gallery

References

*Planta Medica 50:138, Research Paper:Authors MS Akhtar,QM Khan and T Kaliq: Effects of EUPHORBIA PROSTRATA along with FUMARIA PARVIFLORA in noemoglycaemic and alloxan treated hyper glycaemic rabbits as quoted in the book MAJOR HERBS OF AURVEDA: Edited by Elizabeth M Williamson and compiled by Dabur Research Foundation-Page 150-153.

External links

*
Jepson Manual TreatmentUSDA Plants ProfilePhoto gallery
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1023705 prostrata Flora of the Caribbean Flora of northern South America Flora without expected TNC conservation status