122. Rascaso 



SPURGE FAlvULY (EUPHORBIACEAE) 



Euphorbia petiolaris Sims 



A poisonous shrub or small tree of dry and 

 coastal areas with very toxic and caustic whitish 

 latex irritating to the skin and easily recognized 

 by: (1) shiny brown bark peeling off in papery 

 layers and very thin; (2) jointed twigs bearing 

 3-8 leaves at the swollen nodes; (3) slender peti- 

 oles mostly longer than the blades; (4) small, 

 ovate or rounded, thin, green leaf blades about 

 %-% inch long and broad but slightly wider than 

 long, rounded or minutely notched at ajjex and 

 nearly straight or romided at base. The plants 

 should be known in order to be avoided. 



Deciduous and usually growing to 20 feet tall 

 and 2^ inches in trunk diameter. The light brown 

 inner bark, though almost tasteless, contains latex 

 which is vei-y irritating to the mouth. Twigs are 

 light green when young, becoming gray and then 

 dark reddish brown. 



Petioles are 14-I inch long, reddish tinged, with 

 glandular scales (stipules) at base. The blades 

 have widely spreading lateral veins, are not toothed 

 on edges, and are pale beneath. 



The inconspicuous minute male and female flow- 

 ers both on the same plant (monoecious) are borne 

 in a stalked green hemispheric cup (involucre) % 

 inch long, which luis 5 yellowish petallike lobes 

 each with a gland at base. The many male flowers 

 within consist of a single yellow stamen less than 



1/16 inch long. 



The female flower is a single light 

 gz-een pistil with stalked 3-angled 3-celled ovary 

 and 3 spreading 2-forked styles. 



The smooth 3-angled capsule splits into 3 keeled 

 ))arts, each containing 1 egg-shaped white seed Vs 

 incli long, pointed and pitted. Collected in flower 

 in August and December. 



The wood is little used because of the small size 

 of the tree and the poisonous or caustic latex. 



Common in thickets in the dry coastal and dry 

 limestone regions of eastern, southern, and south- 

 western Puerto Rico. Also in Mona, Culebra, 

 Vieques, St. Croix ( ? ) , St. Thomas, St. John, Tor- 

 tola, Virgin Gorda, and Anegada. 



Pttblic forest. — Guanica. 



Range. — South Caicos Island in Bahamas, His- 

 paniola, Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands, St. Mar- 

 tin, Martinique, and Guadeloupe, and Margarita 

 (Venezuela). 



Other common names. — indio desnudo ( Puerto 

 Rico) ; bi'oadleaf spurge (Bahamas) ; palo de 

 leche, palo de yuca (Dominican Republic) ; bon 

 gar^on (Haiti) ; black mageniel (St. Martin). 



Botanical synonym. — Aklema. petiolare ( Sims) 

 Millsp. 



This is the only native tree species of its genus. 

 About 20 related native species are herbs and 

 shrubs, sometimes placed in segregate genera. 



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