Spirostachys is a plant genus of the family Euphorbiaceae first described as a genus in 1850.Sonder, Otto Wilhelm. 1850. Linnaea : Ein Journal für die Botanik in ihrem ganzen Umfange 23: 106 in Latin except for locale of type collection, this in GermanTropicos, Spirostachys Sond. It is native to Africa.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant FamiliesGovaerts, R., Frodin, D.G. & Radcliffe-Smith, A. (2000). World Checklist and Bibliography of Euphorbiaceae (and Pandaceae) 1-4: 1-1622. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
The genus name is derived from Ancient Greek speiros = spiral, stachys = spike, in allusion to the spiral arrangement of the florets on the flower spike.
Species Spirostachys africana Sond. - E + SE + S Africa (Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Angola, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, Swaziland, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal, Cape Province) Spirostachys venenifera (Pax) Pax - Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania
formerly included moved to other genera (Excoecaria Spegazziniophytum ) Spirostachys madagascariensis, syn of Excoecaria madagascariensis Spirostachys patagonica, syn of Spegazziniophytum patagonicum
names in Amaranthaceae The same genus name, Spirostachys, was used twice to name genera in the Amaranthaceae. Thus were created two illegitimate homonyms, unacceptable according to the rules of nomenclature. The species assigned to these genera have been placed in the genera Allenrolfea and Heterostachys, as follows:Tropicos, search for name Falconeria Spirostachys occidentalis (S. Watson) S. Watson 1874, now Allenrolfea occidentalis (S.Watson) Kuntze Spirostachys olivascens Speg. 1902, now Heterostachys olivascens (Speg.) Molfino Spirostachys ritteriana (Moq.) Ung.-Sternb. 1866, now Heterostachys ritteriana (Moq.) Ung.-Sternb. Spirostachys vaginata Griseb. 1874, now Allenrolfea vaginata (Griseb.) Kuntze Spirostachys vaginata Benth. & Hook.f. - unresolved
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