Compilation
Euphorbia candelabrum

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Name

Identification
Euphorbia calycina N.E.Br. [family EUPHORBIACEAE ] (stored under name); Euphorbia candelabrum Trémaux ex Kotschy [family EUPHORBIACEAE ]
Related name
  • Euphorbia erythraeae
  • Euphorbia abyssinica
  • Euphorbia rhombifolia
  • Euphorbia murielii
  • Euphorbia tozzii
  • Euphorbia unrecorded
  • Euphorbia acrurensis
  • Euphorbia candelabrum
  • Euphorbia decussata
  • Euphorbia bilocularis
  • Euphorbia conspicua
  • Euphorbia calycina
  • Euphorbia reinhardtii
  • Euphorbia controversa

Flora

Entry for EUPHORBIA candelabrum Kotschy [family EUPHORBIACEAE]
Herbarium
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (K)
Collection
Flora Somalia
Resource Type
Reference Sources
Entry From
Flora Somalia, Vol 1, (1993) Author: by S. Carter (Euphorbia, Monadenium), M. G. Gilbert (Acalypha, Andrachne, Antidesma, Bridelia, Caperonia, Cephalocroton, Chrozophora, Clutia, Dalechampia, Flueggea, Givotia, Manihot, Meineckia, Micrococca, Oldfieldia, Phyllanthus, Ricinus, Suregada, Tragia), and M. Thulin (Croton, Drypetes, Erythrococca, Excoecaria, Jatropha, Spirostachys and Thecacoris) [updated by M. Thulin 2008]
Names
EUPHORBIA candelabrum Kotschy [family EUPHORBIACEAE], (1857).
Information
Tree to 12 m high, with suberect branches; terminal branchlets (3–)4(–5)-angled, 5–10 cm wide, square in cross-section to distinctly winged, constricted at irregular intervals into segments 15–25 cm long; angles straight to shallowly sinuately toothed, with teeth 1–1.5 cm apart. Spine-shields obtusely triangular, to 8 x 7 mm, including the flowering-eye above; spine-pairs stout, to 5 mm long; prickles flexible, 1.5 mm long, soon deciduous; spines and spine-shields becoming corky and disintegrating. Leaves oblanceolate on seedlings and young growth, to 7 x 1.5 cm, deltoid on older growth, c. 5 x 5 mm, soon deciduous. Cymes 1–6 crowded together, 1-forked, on stout peduncles 5–20 mm long; bracts rounded, c. 5 x 6 mm. Cyathia 9 mm in diam.; glands 4 mm broad, golden yellow. Perianth of the female flower obvious, irregularly divided into 3 or more filiform toothed lobes 2–4 mm long; styles 2 or 3, c. 3 mm long. Capsule shortly exserted on a stout pedicel c. 5 mm long, 2–3-celled, subglobose c. 8 x 12 mm, fleshy, reddening, then hardening before dehiscence to very obtusely 2–3-lobed, c. 6 x 9 mm. Seeds subglobose, 3 mm in diam., smooth, greyish brown, speckled.
Notes
The varieties cannot be determined without flowering or fruiting material. This very widespread species has strong affinities with E. abyssinica Gmel. in the north, and E. ingens E. Mey. from southern Africa. There is some controversy over when the name E. candelabrum was first validly published. Leach in Taxon 30: 483 (1981) & 35: 711 (1986) maintains that Kotschy’s publication was predated by Welwitsch in Proc. Linn. Soc. 2: 329 (1855) for a different species from Angola, but I consider this to be invalid and a synonym of E. conspicua N. E. Br. in Fl. Trop. Afr. 6(1): 600 (1912). An explanation of this view is given in Taxon 34: 699 (1985).

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