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7. Euphorbia antiquorum Linn. Sp. PI. 450. 1753. (Fig. 197).
Euphorbia arborescent Roxb.
EUPHORBIACEAE
Sinh. Daluk; tarn. Amudangam, Chatura-Kalli, Kalli, Kandiravam, Kaniravam,
Kodiravam, Mavirukkam, Murittargalli, Sadurakkalli, Saduchi, Sunakkudam, Tiruvargalli,
Vachiram, Vachirangam, Velangalli; Sans. Simhunda, Snuhi, Tridharaka, Vajrakantaka,
Vajri.
A large shrub or small tree, 5—10 m tall; trunk stout often about 30 cm in circumference,
cylindrical or fluted; bark thick, very rough and corrugated brown; branches numerous, curving
upwards, young branches whorled, stout, fleshy, green, jointed with three very wide thick wings
which are narrowed to either end in each joint and very coarsely repand—crenate; leaves
very small on very young parts, falling off early, 6—12 mm long, sessile on summit of each
crenation, cuneate, truncate, glabrous, fleshy; stipule-spines short, sharp, divaricate, persistent;
flowers regular, unisexual, greenish-yellow, monoecious without a perianth, one female with
many males arranged in a perianth-like involucre, flower heads in small, shortly stalked cymes
of 3, the central one sessile, the two laterals on long stout peduncles ;involucre glands 5, very
large, much broader than long, fleshy; male flowers (stamens) numerous, mixed with many
laciniate bractlets, stamen 1, pedicclled; female flowers consisting each of a single, superior,
sessile, pink ovary surrounded by I-stamened male flowers, 3-locular with one ovule in each
chamber, styles 3 combined for half their length; fruit capsule 3-lobed, of 3 cocci separating
from a central axis and each splitting ventrally and dorsally.
Flowers between September and February.
Illustrations. Wight, Ic. PI. Ind. Orient, pi. 897. 1843-45; Kirtikar and Basu, Indian
Med. Plants, pi. 851 1933; Herb.'Peradeniya, drawing.
Distribution. Grows in the hotter parts of India and Ceylon. It is common in rocky
and dry places, especially in dry regions.
Ceylon. Without locality, Thwaites CP. 2944.
Uses. The bark of the root is a purgative and a decoction of the stem is given for gout.
The juice from the branches is used as a purgative to relieve pain in the loins. It is an acrid
irritant for rheumatism and relieves tooth-ache. It is employed in nervine diseases, dropsy,
palsy, deafness and amaurosis. It is a popular application to warts and sther cutaneous
affections. Externally, mixed with margosa oil, it is applied to limbs which are affected
by rheumatism.
In Bombay, the juice is used to kill maggots in wounds and as drops to cure earache.
A preparation from this plant is given as a cure for cough. In Cambodia, the core of the
plant is administered for dysentery.
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