a genus of the family Euphorbiaceae, whose plants have a milky juice. The flowers lack a calyx and are included in an involucre with a central female flower with a tri-lobed pistil surrounded by a cluster of staminate flowers. Their leaves are often small and their chlorophyll-bearing stems enlarged—an adaptation to reduce water loss. Madagascar has many endemic species.
Alternative forms for Euphorbia : Euphorbiaceae, Euphorbias.