Species Euphorbia muirii
Pictures from Observations
Range:
Location unknown
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Etymology of Euphorbia:
Gk. eu- = well; phorbe = pasture or fodder; probably after Euphorbus, Greek physician to Juba II, King of Mauretania. Juba was educated in Rome and married the daughter of Antony and Cleopatra. He was apparently interested in botany and had written about an African cactus-like plant from the slopes of Mount Atlas, which he had found or knew about, which was used as a powerful laxative. That plant may have been Euphorbia resinifera, and like all Euphorbias had a latexy exudate (milky emulsion from certain plants). Euphorbus had a brother named Antonius Musa who was the physician to Augustus Caesar in Rome. When Juba heard that Caesar had honoured his physician with a statue, he decided to honour his own physician by naming the plant he had written about after him.
Etymology of muirii:
Named after Scotsman Dr John Muir, (1874-1947), physician, naturalist and cultural historian. Came to the Cape in 1826 and in 1923 he retired and concentrated on the study of shells. He criss-crossed the Riversdale region in the course of his medical practice, collecting all the time. He published 'The Flora of Riversdale' which he published as Memoirs of the Botanical Survey of South Africa no 13, (1929). In 1929 he also presented his collection of drift-seeds he had found along the beach and was awarded a DSc from Edinburgh University.
Scientific name:
Unknown
Localities:
Synonym of:
Unknown
Long etymology:
Protologue:
Fl. Cap. (Harvey) 5: II. 331 (1915)
Synonym status:
Year published:
1915
Observations of Taxon
Euphorbia muirii
Locality:
Name of observer:
Pauline Bohnen (David)
Date observed:
Date observed unknown