Euphorbia dendroides L.
Eng.: Spurge tree. Spa.: Lletrera, lechetrezn arbórea, tabaiba. Fre.: Euphorbe arborescente. Ara.: Habb el ghaa, halib el ghaa, (Egypt): libbein. Tam.: Talelt, fernen.
Monoecious shrub, up to 2-3 m in height, but usually does not exceed 1.5 m. Variable in shape, but ± hemispherical. Sometimes, its peculiar branching makes it resemble a minute tree. Stems branched almost from the base. Reticulated bark, with clearly marked scars left by the fallen leaves. Young branches reddish, colour that is sometimes seen in old stems and branches. Leaves usually 25-90 × 3-9 mm, linear-lanceolate to linear-obovate, entire, not undulate, obtuse, matt green on the upper side and a little lighter on the underside, glabrous, densely grouped at the end of the branches. Inflorescence a terminal pleiochasium with (3)4-8(10) rays, (10)15-35(50) mm, single or bifurcated; pleiochasial bracts elliptic, yellowish; dichasial bracts suborbicular, free. Male and female flowers appear together on a subsessile, usually glabrous cyathium; nectaries yellow-orange, polymorphic, usually not appendiculate. Male flowers grouped in 5 fascicles or cincinni which surround the only female flower. Fruit a subglobose capsule, 4-5.5 × 5-8.2 mm, divided into 3 cocci or mericarps highly laterally compressed, usually with a smooth surface. Each coccus carries 1 carunculate seed, highly laterally compressed, usually smooth, greyish to blackish.
Flowering:
March to June.
Fruiting:
May to August.
Habitat:
Rocky Limestone outcrops, in littoral and sublittoral thickets.
Distribution:
Mediterranean region. In North Africa it grows mainly in coastal regions, from Algeria (eastern-central Tellian Atlas —Cap Ivi, Cap Ténès, Cap Carbon and Cap de Garde), N of Tunisia, extreme N of Libya, up to Mersa Matruh (NE of Egypt).
Conservation status:
A relatively common and widespread species, not considered threatened. In the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species it is listed as Least Concern (LC) at global level (Wilson, 2018). In the Livre Rouge de la flore vasculaire du Maroc (Fennane, 2021) it has been considered as Not applicable (NA). In Algeria it is included in the List of protected non cultivated flora (Executive Decree 12-03 on 4-Jan-2012). In the updated red list of Egypt (Shaltout & Bedair, 2023) it has been considered as Vulnerable (VU).