Euphorbia epithymoides, the cushion spurge, syn. E. polychroma, is a species of deciduous flowering plant in the family Euphorbiaceae, native to Libya, Turkey and East, Middle, and Southeast Europe. It is a compact, clump-forming, herbaceous perennial growing to , bearing terminal cymes of acid yellow flower-heads (cyathia) in spring and summer. The cultivar 'Major' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
Taxonomy Euphorbia epithymoides was named by Carl Linnaeus in 1762. It is classified in the genus Euphorbia within the wider Euphorbiaceae family and has three accepted subspecies.
Euphorbia epithymoides subsp. epithymoides – Native to central Europe from Germany to the northwestern Balkan Peninsula Euphorbia epithymoides subsp. gregersenii – Native to Gostović Valley in Bosnia and Hercegovina Euphorbia epithymoides subsp. lingulata – Native to Eastern Europe from Ukraine southwards to Greece and northwestern Turkey
There are 25 synonyms of Euphorbia epithymoides or one of its three subspecies, including species names presented in the following table.
Table of Synonyms Name Year Synonym of: Notes Euphorbia fragifera 1866 subsp. epithymoides = het., nom. illeg. homonym. post. Euphorbia gregersenii 1920 subsp. gregersenii ≡ hom. Euphorbia jacquinii 1862 subsp. epithymoides = het. Euphorbia lingulata 1835 subsp. lingulata ≡ hom. Euphorbia mehadiensis 1864 subsp. lingulata = het. Euphorbia microsperma 1949 subsp. epithymoides = het. Euphorbia polychroma 1875 subsp. epithymoides = het. Euphorbia villosa 1862 subsp. epithymoides = het., pro syn. Galarhoeus epithymoides 1812 E. epithymoides ≡ hom. Pythius epithymoides 1838 E. epithymoides ≡ hom. Tithymalus epithymoides 1860 E. epithymoides ≡ hom. Tithymalus fragifer 1860 subsp. epithymoides = het. Tithymalus gregersenii 1979 subsp. gregersenii ≡ hom. Tithymalus jacquinii 1972 subsp. epithymoides = het. Tithymalus lingulatus 1972 subsp. lingulata ≡ hom. Notes: ≡ homotypic synonym; = heterotypic synonym
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