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Euphorbia klotzschii Oudejans

Family: EUPHORBIACEAE

Publication: Phytologia 67: 46 1989

Description

Euphorbia klotzschii is an annual herb with leaves showing a certain degrees of succulence. When the plant blooms the foliage often becomes tinged with dark red or purplish hues. Many of the popular names of this weed such as: Leche, Pasto leche, Pasto lechero, Lecheleche, Lecherito del campo, refer to the latex or milk (leche in Spanish ) produced by the plant. That milk is used to heal wounds and remove skin warts. It is also used to relieve itching from insect bites. It is said that in Chile the Euphorbia klotzschii is consumed as salad and soup, but this data may be misleading, since other species of the genus are poisonous. However, for the traditional traditional Atacama cuisine (cocina tradicional atacameña), recipes for “purslane salad” with potatoes are documented. Information about the use of this species for forage, provided by some informants contradict the observations of others according to which it is a bitter weed avoided by animals.

Derivation of specific name: klotzschii: the epithet honours the German pharmaceutical, zoologist, botanist and mycologist; Johann Friedrich Klotzsch (1805-1860), who collected the plant in Argentina.

Origin and Habitat

Argentina (Buenos Aires, Catamarca, Chaco, Córdoba, Corrientes, Entre Ríos, Formosa, Jujuy, La Pampa, La Rioja, Mendoza, Misiones, Neuquen, Río Negro, Salta, Sgo. del Estero, Santa Fe, San Juan, San Luis, Tucumán) Chile (Región I, Región II, Región III, Región IV, Región V, Región VI, Región VII, Región VIII, Región IX, Región Metropolitana de Santiago), Paraguay (Alto Paraguay, Ñeembucú, Paraguarí), and Uruguay (Montevideo).

Altitude range: It grows at low and medium altitude, from sea level to 2100 metres above sea level.

Habitat and ecology: Euphorbia klotzschii is locally common in dry sclerophyllous woodlands and shrublands.

Cultivation and Propagation

This species is not known in cultivation.

Bibliography

Major references and further lectures

  1. Carolina Villagrán M., Victoria Castro R. “Ciencia indígena de los Andes del norte de Chile” Editorial Universitaria, 2003

  2. Euphorbia klotzschii. (2014, 14 de noviembre). Wikipedia, La enciclopedia libre. Fecha de consulta: 20:34, abril 16, 2015 desde http://es.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Euphorbia\_klotzschii&oldid=78149719.

  3. Catálogo de las Plantas Vasculares “Euphorbia klotzschii Oudejans var. klotzschii” Instituto de Botánica Darwinion - IBODA 2014 web <http://www2.darwin.edu.ar\>

  4. SciELO Argentina “APPENDIX I. Checklist of the native medicinal plants from Argentina1.” - Kurtziana vol. 34 no. 1-2 http://www.scielo.org.ar/img/revistas/kurtz/v34n1-2/app1.htm