Botanical Family · Malpighiales

Euphorbiaceae

Spurge/Euphorbia family

198 speciesOrder Malpighiales8+ well-known plants

A large, diverse family of flowering plants known for their milky latex sap. Ranging from succulent cacti-like forms to large trees, they occupy nearly every habitat. Many species are economically important, including rubber (Hevea) and cassava (Manihot).

Browse all 198 species ↓

Representative specimen · Euphorbiaceae

Key pattern

Milky, often caustic sap; small, usually unisexual flowers, frequently surrounded by colourful petal-like bracts.

The latex sap is the family's defining trait — historically a source of rubber, but capable of causing skin and eye irritation on contact.

Identify the species

Which Euphorbiaceae species is this?

Answer what you can see and narrow it down to a single Euphorbiaceae species.

Click a node to trace its path · pinch or scroll to zoom · drag to pan

HabitWhat is the plant's growth habit?

Climbing vine

Herb

Shrub

Succulent

Tree

Leaf MarginWhat does the edge of the leaf look like?

Lobed (edge divided into sections)

Toothed

Toothed (serrate/dentate edge)

Leaf SurfaceWhat does the leaf surface feel or look like?

Glabrous

Glabrous (smooth, hairless)

Hirsute (coarsely hairy)

Pubescent

Pubescent (softly hairy)

Tomentose (woolly, matted hairs)

Flower ColorWhat color are the flowers?

Green

Red

Leaf MarginWhat does the edge of the leaf look like?

Entire (smooth edge)

Lobed

Leaf MarginWhat does the edge of the leaf look like?

Entire (smooth edge)

Lobed

Lobed (edge divided into sections)

Toothed

Toothed (serrate/dentate edge)

Leaf SurfaceWhat does the leaf surface feel or look like?

Glabrous

Glabrous (smooth, hairless)

Pubescent (softly hairy)

Tomentose (woolly, matted hairs)

Flower ColorWhat color are the flowers?

Green

White

Flower ColorWhat color are the flowers?

Green

Pink

Red

White

Leaf SurfaceWhat does the leaf surface feel or look like?

Glabrous (smooth, hairless)

Pubescent (softly hairy)

Flower ColorWhat color are the flowers?

Green

Red

Leaf SurfaceWhat does the leaf surface feel or look like?

Glabrous (smooth, hairless)

Pubescent (softly hairy)

Leaf SurfaceWhat does the leaf surface feel or look like?

Glabrous (smooth, hairless)

Hirsute (coarsely hairy)

Pubescent (softly hairy)

Tomentose (woolly, matted hairs)

Flower ColorWhat color are the flowers?

Green

Red

Leaf SurfaceWhat does the leaf surface feel or look like?

Glabrous

Glabrous (smooth, hairless)

Leaf MarginWhat does the edge of the leaf look like?

Entire

Entire (smooth edge)

Flower ColorWhat color are the flowers?

Green

Red

Flower ColorWhat color are the flowers?

Green

Red

Leaf MarginWhat does the edge of the leaf look like?

Entire (smooth edge)

Lobed

Leaf MarginWhat does the edge of the leaf look like?

Entire (smooth edge)

Lobed

Lobed (edge divided into sections)

Toothed

Toothed (serrate/dentate edge)

Leaf SurfaceWhat does the leaf surface feel or look like?

Glabrous (smooth, hairless)

Pubescent

Pubescent (softly hairy)

Tomentose (woolly, matted hairs)

Leaf SurfaceWhat does the leaf surface feel or look like?

Glabrous (smooth, hairless)

Pubescent (softly hairy)

Leaf SurfaceWhat does the leaf surface feel or look like?

Glabrous (smooth, hairless)

Tomentose (woolly, matted hairs)

Flower ColorWhat color are the flowers?

Green

White

Leaf SurfaceWhat does the leaf surface feel or look like?

Glabrous (smooth, hairless)

Pubescent

Pubescent (softly hairy)

Flower ColorWhat color are the flowers?

Green

Red

White

Leaf SurfaceWhat does the leaf surface feel or look like?

Glabrous

Glabrous (smooth, hairless)

How to recognise the Euphorbiaceae family

01
Milky or coloured latex
02
Unisexual flowers, often small
03
3-lobed capsule fruit common

Family identification method

To check whether a plant belongs to Euphorbiaceae, compare the leaf arrangement, leaf type, flower symmetry, fruit type, and one distinctive marker together. A single feature can mislead; the family pattern is the combination.

Learn the full family-identification method