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Euphorbia

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Wild Crop Relatives: Genomic and Breeding Resources

Abstract

Euphorbia is a highly diverse taxa encompassing thousands of species from most of the regions of the world. Many members of the taxa are referred to as spurges, and this order includes a great number of medicinal species such as E. lancifolia, which increases milk production, and well-known ornamental plants including poinsettia. However, despite the fact that there is significant potential among various Euphorbia ssp. for use as biofuel crops, no crop species from this taxa have been developed. This genus includes both endangered species and invasive weeds. One species, Euphorbia esula, has been highly characterized molecularly, and is serving as a model for perennial herbaceous growth and weediness. As members of the Euphorbiaceae, Euphorbia species are related to several important crop species including cassava, castor bean, rubber tree, and jatropha. Many of the molecular and genomic tools developed for these crop species can be used to answer questions of concern for less well-studied members of the Euphorbia.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Bioscience Research Laboratory, USDA-ARS, 1605 Albrecht Blvd, Fargo, ND, 58102, USA

    David Horvath

  2. Department of Botany and Laboratories of Analytical Biology Smithsonian Institution, 37012, NMNH MRC-166, Washington, DC, 20013, USA

    Kenneth Wurdack

  3. Global Solar Energy, 8500 S. Rita Road, Tucson, AZ, 85747, USA

    Kathleen L. Pullin

Authors
  1. David Horvath
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  2. Kenneth Wurdack
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  3. Kathleen L. Pullin
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to David Horvath .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Nutraceutical Research, Clemson University, Jordan Hall 109, Clemson, 29634, South Carolina, USA

    Chittaranjan Kole

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Horvath, D., Wurdack, K., Pullin, K.L. (2011). Euphorbia. In: Kole, C. (eds) Wild Crop Relatives: Genomic and Breeding Resources. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-21201-7_7

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