“Euphorbia tithymaloides”的意思、由来-开放百科全书

The shrub can grow to {{convert|6|to|8|ft|m}} in height and generally is about {{convert|18|to|24|in|cm}} in width.^[13] The leaf is a simple angiosperm leaf, arranged oppositely on the stem.^[2]^[13] Each leaf is sessile (attaching directly to the plant), and about {{convert|1.4|to|3|in|cm}} in length.^[2]^[13] The leaves are glabrous (smooth) and acuminate in shape, with entire (smooth) edges.^[2]^[13] The veins in the leaves are pinnate.^[2]^[13]

The plant terminates in a dichotomous cyme, with a peduncle supporting each flower.^[2]^[13] The floral leaves are bifid (split in two parts) and ovate, while the involucral bracts are bright red, irregularly acuminate in shape (e.g., like a slipper), and about {{convert|0.043|to|0.051|in|mm}} in length with a long, thin tube.^[2]^[13] The flower is void of scent.^[14] The male pedicel is hairy, while the female is glabrous.^[13] The seed pod is about {{convert|0.30|in|mm}} long and {{convert|0.35|in|mm}} wide, and ovoid in shape (with truncated ends).^[13]

Taxonomy

Subspecies are usually identifiable by their leaves, which come in several types such as laurel-like and variegated and which can be tinged with white or red.^[11]^[14]

Ring species

In 2012, Cacho and Baum described the first example of a ring species in plants.^[16] They showed that Euphorbia tithymaloides has reproduced and evolved in a ring through Central America and the Caribbean, meeting in the Virgin Islands where they appear to be morphologically and ecologically distinct.

Garden and house use

Hummingbirds are attracted to the plant's flowers.^[18] Cabbage worms are particularly fond of the plant's leaves.

Municipalities have planted Euphorbia tithymaloides in landfills, toxic waste sites, and along roadsides because it is one of the few plants which can thrive in these more difficult environments.^[10]^[12]

Toxicity

The roots, stems, and leaves of the plant are known to be toxic.^[4]^[18] These parts of the plant contain euphorbol (a complex terpene) and other diterpene esters.^[4]^[18] These are also known carcinogens.^[4]^[18] The plant's leaves and stems also contain beta-sitosterol, cycloartenone, octacosanol, and oxime, all of which have known medicinal as well as toxic properties.^[20]

Even minor amounts (a few drops) of the juice of the Euphorbia tithymaloides root can irritate mucosal membranes.^[18] When ingested, the irritation of the mucosal membranes of the stomach and intestines will cause nausea and vomiting.^[4]^[18] Topical application causes skin irritation, inflammation, and even blisters.^[4]^[18] If introduced topically to the eye, severe pain, keratoconjunctivitis, and reduced visual actuity occur.^[4]^[18] Ingesting even a few seeds can cause violent and persistent vomiting and extreme diarrhea.^[18]

If latex or root juice gets on the skin, the victim should immediately wash with soap and warm water.^[18] If latex or juice gets in the eye, continuous rinsing with fresh water should be the first course of action.^[18] Topical steroids are indicated for skin or eye contact.^[18] Intravenous fluids are often administered to counteract the fluid loss due to vomiting and diarrhea.^[18]

Medicinal usage

The root is known to be a powerful emetic.^[2]^[18] A proteolytic enzyme known as pedilanthain can be extracted from the plant's latex, and has been shown in experiments to be effective against intestinal worms and to reduce inflammation when ingested.^[18]^[20] In 1995, a galactose-specific lectin was purified from the plant's latex, and indications are that it might be useful in combatting diabetes mellitus.^[21]

In folk medicine, tea has been brewed from the leaves which has been used to treat asthma, persistent coughing, laryngitis, mouth ulcers, and venereal disease.^[18] Tea brewed from the root has been used as an abortifacient.^[18] The latex has been used topically to treat calluses, ear ache, insect stings, ringworm, skin cancer, toothache, umbilical hernias, and warts.^[18] None of these uses has been scientifically verified as effective.^[18] In the West Indies, a few drops of the latex is added to milk and used as an emetic.^[4]

Other uses

In Peru, the plant is known as "cimora misha," "timora misha," or "planta magica." It is sometimes added to drinks made from mescaline-containing Trichocereus cacti (although Euphorbia tithymaloides has no known psychoactive properties).^[22]

The fast-growing nature of the plant, coupled with its ability to grow in relatively toxic soils, had led scientists in India to investigate its usefulness as a "petrocrop", a plant which could yield biofuel compounds for internal combustion engines.^[12]^[23]

References

1. ^Sajeva and Costanzo, Succulents: The Illustrated Dictionary, 1994, p. 185.
2. ^¹²³⁴⁵⁶⁷⁸Vardhana, Direct Uses of Medicinal Plants and Their Identification, 2008, p. 261.
3. ^¹Steinmann, "The Submersion of Pedilanthus into Euphorbia (Euphorbiaceae)," Acta Botanica Mexicana, 2003, p. 45.
4. ^¹²³⁴⁵⁶⁷⁸Spoerke and Smolinske, Toxicity of Houseplants, 1990, p. 181.
5. ^{{PLANTS|id=PETI|taxon=Pedilanthus tithymaloides|accessdate=31 January 2016}}
6. ^{{cite web |title=BSBI List 2007 |publisher=Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland |url=http://www.bsbi.org.uk/BSBIList2007.xls |format=xls |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/6VqJ46atN?url=http://www.bsbi.org.uk/BSBIList2007.xls |archive-date=2015-01-25 |accessdate=2014-10-17 |deadurl=yes |df= }}
7. ^Nellis, Poisonous Plants and Animals of Florida and the Caribbean, 1997, p. 182-183.
8. ^Balfour, Cyclopædia of India and of Eastern and Southern Asia Commercial, Industrial and Scientific..., 1873, p. 77; Strong, The American Flora: Or History of Plants and Wild Flowers, 1850, p. 126; Datta, Systematic Botany, 1988, p. 321.
9. ^Quattrocchi, CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names: Common Names, Scientific Names, Eponyms, and Etymology, 1990, p. 1987; Torkelson, The Cross Name Index to Medicinal Plants: Common Names, M-Z, 1996, p. 716.
10. ^¹²Liogier and Martorell, Flora of Puerto Rico and Adjacent Islands: A Systematic Synopsis, 2000, p. 105.
11. ^¹²³Pienaar, The South African "What Flower Is That?", 2000, p. 253.
12. ^¹²³⁴Neumann, Kumar, and Sopory, Recent Advances in Plant Biotechnology and Its Applications, 2008, p. 354.
13. ^¹²³⁴⁵⁶⁷⁸[https://books.google.com/books?id=fchgAAAAMAAJ&dq=%22Euphorbia%20tithymaloides%22%20herb&pg=PA355#v=onepage&q=%22Euphorbia%20tithymaloides%22%20herb&f=false Millspaugh and Hamet, The Genera "Pedilanthus" and "Cubanthus," and Other American "Euphorbiaceae", 1913, p. 355.]
14. ^¹²Strong, The American Flora: Or History of Plants and Wild Flowers, 1850, p. 127.
15. ^"Euphorbia tithymaloides L." Encyclopedia of Life. 2010. Accessed 2010–08–29.
16. ^Cacho & Baum (2012) "The Caribbean slipper spurge Euphorbia tithymaloides: the first example of a ring species in plants", Proceedings of the Royal Society B
17. ^¹Wijnands, The Botany of the Commelins, 1983, p. 105.
18. ^¹²³⁴⁵⁶⁷⁸⁹¹⁰¹¹¹²¹³¹⁴¹⁵¹⁶¹⁷¹⁸¹⁹Nellis, Poisonous Plants and Animals of Florida and the Caribbean, 1997, p. 182.
19. ^Neumann, Kumar, and Sopory, Recent Advances in Plant Biotechnology and Its Applications, 2008, p. 352.
20. ^¹Khare, Indian Medicinal Plants: An Illustrated Dictionary, 2007, p. 469.
21. ^Van Damme, Handbook of Plant Lectins: Properties and Biomedical Applications, 1998, p. 211; Nagda and Deshmukh, "Hemagglutination Pattern of Galactose Specific Lectin From Pedilanthus tithymaloides in Diabetes Mellitus," Indian Journal of Experimental Biology, 1998, 426-428.
22. ^Anderson, The Cactus Family, 2001, p. 49.
23. ^Chandra and Kehri, Biotechnology of "Va mycorrhiza": Indian Scenario, 2006, p. 268.

Names

Distribution and description