Synonymes : Chamaesyce hirta (L.) Millsp., Euphorbia pilulifera L.
Common name : Asthma plant, garden spurge, red euphorbia
Common name in Bengali : Bara dudhia
Common name in Hindi : Baridhudi, dudh ghas
Common name in Urdu : Lal dodhak
Bangla English Hindi Urdu
Diagnostic characters
Biology
Ecology and distribution
Nuisance
Weed control
Botany
Uses/Remark
References
E. hirta is a small, prostrate weed. It is hairy and greenish to reddish colored. It lets escape white latex as soon as it is cut. The plant possesses a deep root system.
The main brief stem branches quickly to give decumbent secondary stems. These stems are abundantly hairy and often tinged with red.Leaves, short petiolated, are arranged by pairs, along the stem. Their margins are toothed and they are hairy on two faces.
Flowers are grouped in balls arranged alternately along the stem. They are greenish, contained in a small receptacle carrying four glands with white edge. It has a spherical 3-angled fruit.
It is an annual prostrate weed which multiplies only by seeds. Seeds are dispersed in an active way by projection or in a passive way by ants.
E. hirta is native of Tropical America and widespread as a weed in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. It is very frequent in Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia.
It is an invasive plant which spreads very quickly. It is a species of much brightened environment that meets so well on dry grounds as in the wetter zones. However, it is not present in altitude. It prefer the sandy grounds or with gravels.
Invasive, however without harmfulness, this species is very frequent in the fields of rice, corn, sugarcane, peanuts and potatoes.
- Cultural
E. hirta is easily controlled by hand or hoe and by cultivation.
Biological
There are very few records of natural enemies attacking E. hirta, and those that do are highly polyphagous.
- Chemical
E. hirta is susceptible to oxadiazon at 0.75-1.0 kg ha-1 applied after harrowing and sowing of rice. It can also be controlled with 2_4-D at 500 g/ha or Metsulfuron at 4 g/ha applied 20-30 days after emergence.
Habit
Erected plant but generally bent back in the extremity, usually branched from the base, with branches ascending or spreading from 10cm and up to 40cm, reddish or purplish according to the period of sunshine.
Roots
Taproot letting flow white latex when it is cut.
Stem
Cylindrical, hail, often reddish. Strongly pubescent with long pluri-cell hairs, having milky sap.
Leaves
Simple and opposite distichous, shortly petiolated, elliptic-oblong to oblong lanceolate; the base of the lamina is asymmetric; the margin finely toothed. Lower and upper face pubescent (denser pilosity along the nerves in the lower face, more scattered on the upper side). They measure until 5cm in length and 2cm wide. Base of petioles joining in a stipule provided with 2 to 4 filiform teeth.
Inflorescence
Cymes collected in dense axillary or terminal clusters, sub-globose and pedicelled. Flowers small unisexual, staminate and pistillate, greenish, assembled in the same involucre which is cup-shaped, four-toothed at the top, the teeth alterning with minute glands.
Fruit
Capsule globose, dehiscent, three-angled with three locules containing each a seed, covered with very short hairs; measuring 1,5mm in diameter.
Seeds
Red- brown, 1mm long, slightly transversally ribbed or wrinkled when dry.
Seedling
Cotyledons shortly petiolated, elliptic, 2mm long 1mm wide, sessile and hairless.
First leaves simple, opposite and sub-sessile, elliptic, with asymmetric lamina in the base, and finely toothed margin.
E. hirta is sometimes used in medicines; the leaves and latex against intestinal diseases, ulcers and bronchitis, and the latex for conjunctivitis. It may have slightly poisonous properties and is useless as fodder for livestock.
- Le Bourgeois T., Jeuffrault E., Grard P., Carrara A. 2001. AdvenRun V.1.0. Les principales mauvaises herbes de La Réunion. CD-ROM. Cirad, SPV. France.
- Holm L. G., Plucknett D. L., Pancho J. V., Herberger J. P. 1991. The world’s worst weeds. Distribution and Biology. East-West Center by the University Press. Hawaii.
- Galinato M., Moody K., Piggin C. M. 1999. Upland rice weeds of South and Southeast Asia. IRRI. Philippines.
- Waterhouse D. F. 1994. Biological control of weeds: Southeast Asian prospects. ACIAR Monograph No. 26, 302pp.
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