大果大戟 da guo da ji

Euphorbia duclouxii H. Léveillé & Vaniot; E. luteoviridis D. G. Long; E. yunnanensis Radcliffe-Smith.

Herbs, up to 100 cm tall. Root terete, up to 50 × 5 cm. Stems single or several clustered, few branched basally, ca. 1.2 cm, upper parts many branched, smooth and glabrous. Leaves alternate, larger toward apex; stipules absent; petiole absent or nearly so; leaf blade elliptic, long elliptic, or ovate-lanceolate, 5-10 × 1.2-2.9 cm, base attenuate, rounded, or subtruncate, margin entire, apex acuminate to subacute; midrib prominent on both surfaces, lateral veins ca. 7 pairs, dividing before margin. Inflorescence a compact terminal pseudumbel; primary involucral leaves (3-)5(-7), yellow or yellow-green, usually ovate, occasionally ovate-elliptic or oblong, 4-6 × 2-3.5 cm, base rounded or subtruncate, apex obtuse to acute, primary rays (3-)5(-7), up to 5 cm, shorter than involucre; secondary involucral leaves usually 3, ovate to broadly ovate, 2.5-3.5 × 1-2 cm; cyathophylls 2, similar to secondary involucral leaves, base subtruncate, apex acuminate. Cyathium sessile or shortly stipitate; involucre broadly campanulate, ca. 5 × 6-7 mm, exterior shortly brown pilose, lobes rounded, apex irregularly lacerate, densely white pilose inside; glands 4, pale brown to yellow-brown, reniform-rounded. Male flowers many, exserted from involucre, conspicuous. Female flower: ovary pedicel up to 3-5 mm; styles free, falling easily; style arms 2-lobed. Capsule 3-lobed, 9-11 × 9-11 mm, glabrous. Seeds angulate-terete, 5-6 × 4-5 mm, light brown to gray-brown, adaxially striate; caruncle peltate, extremely shortly stipitate. Fl. and fr. May-Aug (or Sep).

Alpine meadows, slopes, forest margins; 1800-4700 m. S Qinghai, Sichuan, Xizang, Yunnan [Afghanistan, Bhutan, India (Sikkim), Kashmir, Nepal].