the euphorbiaceae are a large family, the spurge family, of flowering plants. in common english, they are sometimes called euphorbias, which is also the name of a genus in the family. most spurges such as "euphorbia paralias" are herbs, but some, especially in the tropics, are shrubs or trees, such as "hevea brasiliensis". some, such as "euphorbia canariensis", are succulent and resemble cacti because of convergent evolution. this family occurs mainly in the tropics, with the majority of the species in the indo-malayan region and tropical america a strong second. a large variety occurs in tropical africa, but they are not as abundant or varied as in the two other tropical regions. however, the euphorbiaceae also have many species in nontropical areas such as the mediterranean basin, the middle east, south africa, and the southern united states.