Euphorbia zambesiana Benth.
var. zambesiana

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Photo: Nicholas Wightman
Nyama area, Kabwe Distr., Central Province

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Synonyms:	Chamaesyce zambesiana (Benth.) Koutnik Euphorbia poggei Pax
Common names:
Frequency:
Status:	Native
Description:	Perennial herb growing from a woody twisted root c. 1 cm thick and c. 25 cm long and producing several woody underground stems to 3 cm long and branching profusely at ground level, plants glabrous or densely pilose; branches densely rebranching, leafy and prostrate, up to 35 cm long, floriferous and erect to c. 5 cm high, often tinged red; leaves with petiole 2 mm long, 35 x 9 mm, lanceolate to ovate, minutely apiculate at apex, obliquely subcordate at base, margins entire or minutely toothed; cyathia terminal and pseudoaxillary, solitary on peduncles 1-25 mm long, 2 x 2.5 mm with broadly cup-shaped involucres; glands 4 in bisexula cyathia, or sometimes 5 in male only flowers, c. 1 mm wide, transversely elliptic, red with conspicuous white or pink appendages to 1.5 x 2 mm, entire or shallowly 2-3 lobed; involucral lobes 0.8 mm long with ciliate margins; male flowers many, bracteoles deeply laciniate, apices ciliate, stamens 2 mm long; female flowers with pedicellate ovary, style 1 mm long, erect, bifid to halfway; capsule exerted on a reflexed pedicel c. 5.5 mm long, 3 x 3 mm, deeply 3-lobed; seeds 1.75 x 1.25 mm, ovate-conical, deeply pitted, reddish-buff. Var. zambesiana differs in plants entirely glabrous and with lanceolate to ovate leaves 35 x 9 mm; whereas, var. villosula has plants entirely densely pilose with long spreading hairs, or at least some hairs present on stems, leaves and capsules and ovate to ovate-lanceolate leaves 12 x 7 mm.
Notes:
Derivation of specific name:	zambesiana: of the Zambezi region
Habitat:
Altitude range:
Flowering time:	Apr - Sep
Worldwide distribution:	Angola and DRC through Zambia, Burundi and Rwanda to Tanzania, Malawi and Mozambique
Malawi distribution:	N,C,S
Growth form(s):	Perennial.
Endemic status:
Red data list status:
Insects associated with this species:
Spot characters:	Display spot characters for this species
Literature:	Burrows, J.E. & Willis, C.K. (eds) (2005). Plants of the Nyika Plateau Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 31 SABONET, Pretoria Page 146. (Includes a picture). Carter, S. & Leach, L.C. (2001). Euphorbiaceae: subfamily Euphorbioideae: tribe Euphorbieae Flora Zambesiaca 9(5) Pages 355 - 359. (Includes a picture). Strugnell, A.M. (2006). A Checklist of the Spermatophytes of Mount Mulanje, Malawi Scripta Botanica Belgica 34 National Botanic Garden of Belgium Page 87.

Other sources of information about Euphorbia zambesiana var. zambesiana:

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Flora of Mozambique: Euphorbia zambesiana var. zambesiana
Flora of Zambia: Euphorbia zambesiana var. zambesiana

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Euphorbia zambesiana
African Plant Database: Euphorbia zambesiana
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Euphorbia zambesiana
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Euphorbia zambesiana
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Euphorbia zambesiana
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Euphorbia zambesiana
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Euphorbia zambesiana
JSTOR Plant Science: Euphorbia zambesiana
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Euphorbia zambesiana
Plants of the World Online: Euphorbia zambesiana
Tropicos: Euphorbia zambesiana
Wikipedia: Euphorbia zambesiana