Euphorbia tuckeyana is a species of flowering plants of the family Euphorbiaceae.[2] The species is endemic to Cape Verde.[3] The species is named after James Hingston Tuckey. Its local name is tortolho. The plants are used for tanning hides.[4]

Euphorbia tuckeyana
Euphorbia tuckeyana at Chã das Caldeiras
Conservation status
Near Threatened  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Malpighiales
Family:	Euphorbiaceae
Genus:	Euphorbia
Species:	E. tuckeyana
Binomial name
Euphorbia tuckeyana Steud. ex. Webb, 1849
Synonyms
Euphorbia arborescens C.Sm Euphorbia tuckeyana var. mezereum Chev. (from The Plant List) Tithymalus tuckeyanus (Steud. ex Webb) Bolle ex Klotzsch & Garcke

Description

Euphorbia tuckeyana is a shrub that can reach 3 m height. It has milky sap. Its elliptical leaves are placed in rosettes. It has yellow flowers.[4]

Distribution and ecology

Euphorbia tuckeyana occurs on most of the Cape Verde islands, but not on Maio.[3] It grows in semi-arid, sub-humid and humid zones, between 100 and 2,500 metres elevation. The plants grow in rocky places and escarpments. It is characteristic of the endemic vegetation of the Cape Verde Islands.[1]

References

Further reading

• The endemic vascular plants of the Cape Verde Islands, W Africa, Sommerfeltia 24, 1997, C. Brochmann, Ø. H. Rustan, W. Lobin & N. Kilian, ISSN 0800-6865, ISBN 82-7420-033-0
• Schmidt, Johann Anton (1852). Beiträge zur Flora der Cap Verdischen Inseln. p. 64.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Euphorbia tuckeyana.