The Flowering Plants of Hawaii Part 17 Euphorbiaceae
Euphorbiaceae, the spurge family, are very well represented in
the Hawaiian flora ranging from common and widespread weedy
species, to one of the most important Polynesian introductions.
The family is a moderately large one, 313 genera with as many as
8,100 species (Mabberley, p. 273) (numbers according to the
Manual are ca. 300 and 7,500, respectively). The family enjoys a
cosmopolitan distribution. Perhaps the most familiar member of
the family, and certainly the one most people use on a regular
basis, is the genus Hevea. It is the latex of species of Hevea
that yield the best quality of natural rubber. An edible member
of the family is Manihot esculenta from the root of which comes
tapioca. A noxious weed, and the source of castor oil (a
perennial childhood threat) from its seeds, is the castor bean
Ricinus communis (see image below). Many cultivated ornamental
euphorbs are widely available commercially, and increasingly
popular because of their attracti