Euphorbia atoto (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Euphorbia atoto J.G. Forster

Protologue: Fl. ins. austr.: 36 (1786).

Synonyms

• Euphorbia laevis Poir. (1812),
• Euphorbia halophila Miq. (1852),
• Chamaesyce atoto (J.G. Forster) Croizat (1936).

Vernacular names

• Indonesia: jelutung laut (Java), susuan i lawanan (Sulawesi)
• Philippines: tairas (Filipino), lamingo (Bagobo)
• Thailand: ma phraao nok khao (south-western), nam nom raatchasee thale (peninsular)
• Vietnam: cây thuôc dòi.

Distribution

Indo-China, China, Japan, Thailand, throughout the Malesian region, northern Australia and Polynesia.

Uses

In Indo-China the latex is used as an emmenagogue and an abortifacient. In New Caledonia, seawater in which the plant has been soaked and trampled is often used as a purgative.

Observations

• An unarmed, perennial, glabrous herb with prostrate to ascending stems.
• Leaves opposite, slightly leathery, elliptical to ovate-oblong, 1.2-3 cm long, obliquely subcordate at base, acute at apex, margin entire, glaucous, shortly petiolate, stipules entire; bracts leaf-like.
• Cyathia 1-3 together in terminal cymes, glands 4, transversely elliptical to oblong, yellow, with white appendages, anthers yellow.
• Capsule obtusely trigonous, about 2.5 mm in diameter, smooth.

E. atoto is a typical beach plant confined to sandy beaches and coral reefs.

Selected sources

• 97.Backer, C.A. & Bakhuizen van den Brink Jr, R.C., 1963-1968. Flora of Java. 3 volumes. Noordhoff, Groningen, the Netherlands. Vol. 1 (1963) 647 pp., Vol. 2 (1965) 641 pp., Vol. 3 (1968) 761 pp.
• 155.Binojkumar, M.S. & Balakrishnan, N.P., 1993. Notes on Euphorbia atoto G. Forster and its allied species (Euphorbiaceae). Rheedea 3(2): 113-116.
• 865.Lin, S. C. & Hsieh, C. F., 1993. Euphorbia. In: Huang, T. C. (Editor): Flora of Taiwan. 2nd Edition. Vol. 3. Editorial Committee of the Flora of Taiwan, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China. pp. 456-469.
• 921.Matthew, K.M., 1981-1988. The flora of the Tamilnadu Carnatic. 4 volumes. The Rapinat Herbarium, St. Joseph's College, Tiruchirapalli, India.
• 1128.Pételot, A., 1952-1954. Les plantes médicinales du Cambodge, du Laos et du Vietnam [The medicinal plants of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam]. 4 volumes. Centre National de Recherches Scientifiques et Techniques, Saigon, Vietnam.
• 1178.Quisumbing, E., 1978. Medicinal plants of the Philippines. Katha Publishing Co., Quezon City, the Philippines. 1262 pp.
• 1181.Radcliffe Smith, A., 1972. Euphorbia L. In: Airy Shaw, H. K. The Euphorbiaceae of Siam. Kew Bulletin 26: 261-268.
• 1380.Smitinand, T., 1980. Thai plant names. Royal Forest Department, Bangkok, Thailand. 379 pp.

Main genus page

• Euphorbia (Medicinal plants)

Authors

• Nguyen Nghia Thin & M.S.M. Sosef