Euphorbia

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. The typical genus of the natural order Euphorbiaceæ, characterized by having its achlamydeous. unisexual flowers within a cup-shaped, calyx-like involucre, the central solitary pistillate flower being surrounded by numerous monandrous staminate ones, and the whole resembling a perfect flower. There are over 600 species, known generally as spurges, found in all temperate regions, and more sparingly within the tropics. They vary greatly in habit, especially the tropical species, which are sometimes shrubs or trees; and many African species have succulent, leafless, spiny, and angled stems, resembling columnar Cactaceæ. They abound in an acrid milky juice, which possesses active medicinal and sometimes poisonous properties. The blooming spurge, E. corollata, and the ipecac spurge, E. Ipecacuanha, of the United States, and numerous other species, are employed medicinally in the countries where they are native. (See euphorbium.) Various species are also cultivated for ornament, as E. marginata for its color-margined leaves, E. pulcherrima for its bright-colored floral bracts, E. fulgens for its bright-red involucre, and several African species for their cactus-like habit, as E. resinifera.
2. n. [lowercase] A plant of this genus.

Wiktionary

1. n. A taxonomic genus within the family Euphorbiaceae — with numerous flowering plant species, which may grow as herbs, shrubs, or trees, but all typically with latex and paired spines..

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. (Bot.) Spurge, or bastard spurge, a genus of plants of many species, mostly shrubby, herbaceous succulents, affording an acrid, milky juice. Some of them are armed with thorns. Most of them yield powerful emetic and cathartic products.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. type genus of the Euphorbiaceae: very large genus of diverse plants all having milky juice