Family |
Euphorbiaceae
Euphorbia hierosolymitana var. hierosolymitana
Boiss.
Euphorbia hierosolymitana var. hierosolymitana
(Syn. Euphorbia thamnoides Boiss., Cent. Euphorb.: 33; 1860 – Nouvelle Flore du Liban et de la Syrie, vol. 2, Pl. CLVI nº 3; 1969)
• Life-form & habit: Perennial chamaephyte, woody at the base, forming dense hemispherical cushions 20–60 cm tall. Branches numerous, erect to ascending, slender, pale green to glaucous, often glabrous, exuding milky latex when cut.
• Leaves: Alternate, sessile, oblong to narrowly elliptic, 5–15 × 2–5 mm, entire, obtuse or subacute at apex, glabrous on both surfaces, soon deciduous on lower branches but persistent near the flowering parts.
• Inflorescence & flowers: Terminal cymes compoundly umbellate, with 5–10 rays, each ending in small condensed pleiochasia. Bracts opposite, broadly ovate to elliptic, yellowish-green or flushed with red at the margin. Cyathia small (2–3 mm), cup-shaped, glabrous; glands 4, broadly lunate, yellowish; appendages absent or minute.
• Fruit: Capsule trigonous, smooth, glabrous, 3–4 mm in diameter, slightly exserted beyond the involucral lobes. Seeds ovoid, smooth or faintly rugulose, greyish-brown, with a small caruncle.
• Phenology: Flowers from March to May; fruits ripen shortly after flowering.
• Habitat & elevation: Rocky limestone slopes, dry scrub, and open steppe habitats, often in sunny exposures, 200–1 400 m.
• Lebanese distribution: Reported by Mouterde from Mount Lebanon and the Beqaa — recorded in the regions of Beirut, Dahr el-Baïdar, Zahlé, and the western slopes of the Anti-Lebanon; locally common in dry habitats around Barouk and the lower Sannine.
• Native range: East Aegean Islands, Egypt, Lebanon–Syria, Sinai, Transcaucasus, Türkiye (POWO).
• ⚠️ Taxonomic note: The typical variety (var. hierosolymitana) represents the widespread Levantine form of the species and includes plants formerly described as Euphorbia thamnoides Boiss. It differs from related Mediterranean taxa by its glabrous stems, small yellowish cyathia, and smooth capsules. Sometimes confused with E. tinctoria, but that species has larger cyathial glands and rougher fruits.