Euphorbia barnhartii (PROSEA)

Plant Resources of South-East Asia Introduction

List of species

Euphorbia barnhartii Croizat

Protologue: Euph. antiq. offic.: 54 (1934).

Synonyms

• Euphorbia trigona Roxb. (1832) non Miller.

Vernacular names

• Indonesia: sudu-sudu, susudu, susuru
• Malaysia: sesudu, sudu-sudu (Peninsular)
• Philippines: sorog-sorog (Tagalog).

Distribution

Native origin possibly Java; planted in Peninsular Malaysia, Java, the Philippines, possibly also elsewhere.

Uses

The latex is used to treat earache, and has been reported as poisonous. Pounded leaves are applied as a poultice to boils. E. barnhartii is fairly commonly cultivated for ornamental purposes and as a hedge.

Observations

• A spiny, succulent shrub or small tree up to 5 m tall, main stem 4-5-ribbed, branches 3-ribbed, with 3-5 mm long, readily caducous spines on the exsculptate ribs.
• Leaves early caducous, oblong-obovate, 4-15(-30) cm long, apex rounded with a recurved mucro.
• Inflorescence borne on the exsculptate ribs, composed of 3-7 cyathia on short, rigid, forked peduncles, bracts 2-7 mm long.
• Cyathia with 5 shiny yellow glands, 3.5-4.5 mm broad, anthers red.
• Capsule obtusely trigonous, ovoid, 4-7 mm in diameter, smooth.

E. barnhartii is found as an escape from cultivation, e.g. on limestone and lava rocks, at low altitude.

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.
• 202.Burkill, I.H., 1966. A dictionary of the economic products of the Malay Peninsula. Revised reprint. 2 volumes. Ministry of Agriculture and Co operatives, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Vol. 1 (A-H) pp. 1-1240. Vol. 2 (I- Z) pp. 1241-2444.
• 296.Croizat, L., 1934. De euphorbio antiquorum atque officinarum [A study of succulent Euphorbiae long known in cultivation]. New York, United States. 127 pp.
• 580.Heyne, K., 1950. De nuttige planten van Indonesië [The useful plants of Indonesia]. 3rd Edition. 2 volumes. W. van Hoeve, 's Gravenhage, the Netherlands/Bandung, Indonesia. 1660 + CCXLI pp.
• 933.Merrill, E.D., 1912. A flora of Manila. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Science, Manila, the Philippines. 491 pp.
• 1126.Perry, L.M., 1980. Medicinal plants of East and Southeast Asia. Attributed properties and uses. MIT Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States & London, United Kingdom. 620 pp.

Main genus page

• Euphorbia (Medicinal plants)

Authors

• Nguyen Nghia Thin & M.S.M. Sosef