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Euphorbia serpyllifolia

Common name:	Thymeleaf Sandmat	Family:	Euphorbiaceae
Author:	Pers.	Botanical references:	43, 235
Synonyms:	Chamaesyce serpyllifolia ((Pers.)Small.)
Known Hazards:	The sap contains a latex which is toxic on ingestion and highly irritant externally, causing photosensitive skin reactions and severe inflammation, especially on contact with eyes or open cuts. The toxicity can remain high even in dried plant material[200]. Prolonged and regular contact with the sap is inadvisable because of its carcinogenic nature[214].
Range:	N. America - British Columbia to Michigan and Wisconsin, south to California, Texas and Mexico.
Habitat:	Dry sandy or alluvial soils[43, 235].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	1	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	2

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	Chamaesyce albicaulis[B,P] Chamaesyce neomexicana[B,P] Chamaesyce serpyllifolia ssp. serpyllifolia[B,C,CAL,P] E. neomexicana[B,P]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Thyme-leaf Sandmat [B], Thymeleaf Sandmat [P], Yerba De La Golondrina [E],
Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	serpyllifolia = Thyme leaved;
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Euphorbiales. Spurge family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Us(Nm)

Physical Characteristics

Annual growing to 0.25m. . The flowers are monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant) and are pollinated by Insects. We rate it 1/5 for edibility and 2/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires dry or moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Cultivated Beds.

Edible Uses

Drink; Leaves; Root.

Root - cooked. They are chewed (by women!) and then mixed with corn meal to sweeten it[161]. One report says that the women would keep the root in their mouths for two days, only taking it out when taking refreshments or sleeping. At the end of that time as much cornmeal as possible was placed in the mouth and held there, without chewing, until the build-up of saliva forced ejection of the mass[257]. (Saliva contains certain enzymes that convert starches to sugars and so it will sweeten corn meal on its own[K].) The chewed root acts like a yeast preparation and has been used in making cakes[257]. The root can be dried for later use[257].
The root has been fermented to make an intoxicating drink[257].
The leaves are used for chewing[161, 177]. They have a pleasant taste[257].
All these uses should be viewed with some caution, see the notes above on toxicity.

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Galactogogue; Haemostatic; Odontalgic; Poultice; Skin; Stings; Stomachic; Warts.

Thymeleaf sandmat was employed medicinally by a number of native North American Indian tribes who used it to treat a variety of complaints[257]. It is not normally used in modern herbalism and any use of this plant should be done with great care because of its potentially toxic nature[K].
A decoction of the plant has been used to encourage milk flow in nursing mothers and to treat diarrhoea, stomach aches[257]. Externally, the decoction has been used as a wash on running sores and poison ivy rash[257]. A poultice of the plant has been applied to rattlesnake bites - this must be done immediately after being bitten if it is to be effective[257].
A poultice made from the chewed plant has been applied to cuts to stop the bleeding[257]. The heated poultice has been used to treat toothache[257].
The dried leaves have been rubbed into scratches on the abdomen to treat dysentery and bloating in children[257].
The sap has been used to treat warts[257]. The sap needs to be applied at least once a day and will take some time to be effective.

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain. Other members of the genus prefer a light well-drained moderately rich loam in an open position[200]. Succeeds in dry soils[1].
Hybridizes with other members of this genus[200]. The ripe seed is released explosively from the seed capsules[200].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer or rabbits[233].
This genus has been singled out as a potential source of latex (for making rubber) for the temperate zone, although no individual species has been singled out[141].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in situ. Germination usually takes place within 2 - 3 weeks at 20°c.

Suppliers

Plants For A Future is working with the following groups to try and make these plants easily available. Parts of the proceeds will be donated to so please mention us when ordering.

Wildwood Nurseries: Lower Manor Cottage
Thornbury
Holsworthy
Devon
EX22 7DD
Email: lorna@macace.co.uk
Phone 01409 261324 Fax 01409 261324
Distribution: UK
How to order: Direct from Wildwood by email/phone
Last Updated: March 03
Item: Euphorbia amygdaloides (wood spurge)

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Chamaesyce serpyllifolia (a possible synonym).

[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[C] Taxon data. from the CalFlora database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

References for Chamaesyce serpyllifolia ssp. serpyllifolia (a possible synonym).

[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[C] Taxon data. from the CalFlora database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

References for the family Euphorbiaceae.

[CHINA] Draft Data Very detailed botanical/identification info. from the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[43] Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950
A bit dated but good and concise flora of the eastern part of N. America.

[141] Carruthers. S. P. (Editor) Alternative Enterprises for Agriculture in the UK. Centre for Agricultural Strategy, Univ. of Reading 1986 ISBN 0704909820
Some suggested alternative commercial crops for Britain. Readable. Produced by a University study group.

[161] Yanovsky. E. Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237. U.S. Depf of Agriculture.
A comprehensive but very terse guide. Not for the casual reader.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[214] Matthews. V. The New Plantsman. Volume 1, 1994. Royal Horticultural Society 1994 ISBN 1352-4186
A quarterly magazine, it has articles on Himalayacalamus hookerianus, hardy Euphorbias and an excellent article on Hippophae spp.

[233] Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants J. M. Dent & Sons, London. 1990 ISBN 0 460 86048 8
A concise guide to a wide range of perennials. Lots of cultivation guides, very little on plant uses.

[235] Britton. N. L. Brown. A. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada Dover Publications. New York. 1970 ISBN 0-486-22642-5
Reprint of a 1913 Flora, but still a very useful book.

[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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