Euphorbia robecchii Pax

BOTANISK INSTITUT • AARHUS UNIVERSITE'
(Herbarium Jutlandicum [AAU], Aarhus, Denmark)
iUpnorbiaceae
Flora of
No.
o49
Collected 1974 by Henrik Balslev
Apiiorbia robecchii Pax
Loc. : K 7, Tc
Ndara St. ea‘
vox.
date
det.
evtf yo#?
BOTANICAL
gardêH
NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN
04048379
y 049: Euphorbia robecchii Pax
Habitat: Flat land with open bush-vegetation. Soil red.
Description: Tree, 7 m tall. Trunk 4 0 cm in diam with
grey, furrowed-cracked bark. The lowest branches emerge
from 4 m up the trunk, they have a diam of 10 cm and
reach 5 m length. These primary branches have lost their
sidebranches on the part close to the trunk, and each
fallen side branch has left a small "woodpecker-hole".
The terminal end of the primary branches carries a dense
tuft of secondary branches:
The trunk also carries "wood-
pecker-holes".
The youngest branches are green,
succulent, leafless and with 4
wings with a slightly undulating
margin. These branches have
spines, 1 cm long and on sepa-
rate spineshields. When the
branches grow older they first
lose their spines, but other-
wise they look the same. Growing
still older they lose their
wings, but are still green. In
the oldest stage they lose their
colour and turn grey. After
this they fall off.
Neither flowers nor fruits observed, but the plant was
reproducing, as young plants in several stages of de-
velopment were seen around. The youngest of these had
a 4-angled stem, 5 cm in diam, still bearing spines, and
having side-branches emerging from 20 cm above the ground.
Another young plant was 2\ m tall and with a 10 cm trunk
and a crown 2 m in diam. The primary branches having
spines along the entire length.
When the plants reach 4 m the primary branches have lost
their spines on the part close to the trunk, but they
still carry side branches along the entire length.
Several of the branches have reached the round, green
and spindless stage, but no branches have reached the
grey stage.
All young plants observed were found W of the old plant,
and not more than 20 m apart from it. This seems to
indicate wind-dispersal over short distance (heavy seeds!)
and corresponds with the observation of almost constant
Eastern wind for the last few days before this.
04048379