Euphorbia hirta (sometimes called asthma-plant) is a pantropical weed, originating from the tropical regions of the Americas. It is a hairy herb that grows in open grasslands, roadsides and pathways. It is widely used in traditional herbal medicine across many cultures, particularly for asthma, skin ailments, and hypertension. It is also consumed in herbal tea form as folk medicine for fevers in the Philippines (where it is known as tawa-tawa), particularly for dengue fever and malaria.
Description
This erect or prostrate annual herb can grow up to long with a solid stem that is furnished with many yellow to reddish coarse hairs, and produces an abundant white latex. There are stipules present. The leaves have an oblique base and are simple, elliptical to slightly rhombic, hairy (on both upper and lower surfaces but particularly on the veins on the lower leaf surface), with a finely dentate margin, the veins upperside being deep-set and conspicuous on the underside, and the leaf surface somewhat leathery. Leaves occur in opposite pairs on the stem. The flowers are unisexual and found in axillary cymes at each leaf node, held as dense balls of flowers and fruit capsules usually close to the stem, the flower glands with tiny white/pinkish petal-like appendages. The fruit is a capsule with three valves (creating 3 sides), uniformly appressed hairy, containing tiny (0.7–0.9 mm), oblong, four-sided orange to pink or red seeds. It has a white or brown taproot. FNA
Taxonomy Euphorbia hirta was given its scientific name by Carl Linnaeus in 1753. It continues to be classified in the genus Euphorbia within the family Euphorbiaceae. It has no accepted varieties, but has some among its synonyms.
Table of Synonyms Name Year Rank Notes Chamaesyce gemella 1913 species = het. Chamaesyce hirta 1909 species ≡ hom. Chamaesyce hirta var. glaberrima 1940 variety = het. Chamaesyce hirta f. glaberrima 1954 form = het. Chamaesyce hirta var. laeticincta 1943 variety = het. Chamaesyce hirta f. litoralis 1954 form = het. Chamaesyce karwinskyi 1916 species = het. Chamaesyce pekinensis var. glaberrima 1925 variety = het. Chamaesyce pilulifera var. glaberrima 1938 variety = het. Chamaesyce rosei 1916 species = het. Desmonema hirta 1833 species ≡ hom. Ditrita hirta 1838 species ≡ hom. Euphorbia bancana 1861 species = het. Euphorbia capitata 1788 species = het. Euphorbia chrysochaeta 1918 species = het. Euphorbia gemella 1816 species = het. Euphorbia globulifera 1817 species = het. Euphorbia hirta var. destituta 1939 variety = het. Euphorbia hirta var. glaberrima 1919 variety = het. Euphorbia hirta var. typica 1939 variety ≡ hom., not validly publ. Euphorbia karwinskyi 1860 species = het. Euphorbia nodiflora 1840 species = het. Euphorbia obliterata 1760 species = het. Euphorbia pilulifera var. arechavaletae 1910 variety = het. Euphorbia pilulifera var. discolor 1859 variety = het. Euphorbia pilulifera var. glabrescens 1917 variety = het. Euphorbia pilulifera var. guaranitica 1905 variety = het. Euphorbia pilulifera var. hirta 1917 variety ≡ hom. Euphorbia pilulifera f. humifusa 1927 form = het. Euphorbia pilulifera var. obliterata 1893 variety = het. Euphorbia pilulifera f. rubromaculata 1927 form = het. Euphorbia pilulifera f. viridis 1927 form = het. Euphorbia verticillata 1829 species = het., nom. illeg. Notes: ≡ homotypic synonym; = heterotypic synonym
Names Euphorbia hirta has many common names including garden spurge, pillpod spurge, and hairy spurge. It is also called by the related names asthma weed, asthma plant and Queensland asthma weed. Additionally it is known as red milkweed and snakeweed.
References
Further reading
External links PROTA4U: Euphorbia hirta