Euphorbia is a toxic plant that has been used medicinally since ancient times. The genus of milkweed has about 700 species. 25 of them plus five subspecies grow in Cyprus.
These are annual and perennial herbs, shrubs (often succulent or cactus-like), and sometimes small trees. All species are characterized by the content of caustic milky juice, which is where the name of the genus comes from.
Euphorbia veneris is an endemic plant of Cyprus that grows in mountainous areas. Blooms from March to June. Cypriots call it “kaloximeroton”, that is, “beautiful flower at dawn”.
Another endemic is Cyprus milkweed (Euphorbia cypria), which grows in the foothills and blooms from April to June.
Finally, the exclusively Cypriot subspecies – Euphorbia cassia ssp. Rigoi grows in rocky soils and pine forests and blooms from June to September.
Milkweed sap can kill small animals. In former times, residents of Cypriot villages used it to poison rodents. Pieces of bread were soaked in milkweed juice and left in places where mice had bred.
In humans, the juice of the plant causes irritation to the skin and mucous membranes of the eyes.
The text was prepared based on materials from “Polygnosi”
About Cypriot flora
There are 1,738 plant species on the island, of which 143 are found only here. In terms of the share of plant uniqueness (8.2%), Cyprus ranks first in Europe. Thanks to its isolation, many prehistoric species have been preserved here, having transformed over time and adapted to new conditions. More details here.
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