Practical
Plants

Euphorbia serpyllifolia

Thymeleaf Sandmat

an annual member of the Euphorbia genus in the family Euphorbiaceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
annual
Height
0.25 m
Fertility
Insects
Flower type
monoecious
Pollinators
Insects

Uses

Toxicity

Toxicity warning. The historical record reports a hazard for this plant. Do not use it to decide which parts are safe to eat or use medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

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[5]. Prolonged and regular contact with the sap is inadvisable because of its carcinogenic nature[6].

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Root - cooked. They are chewed (by women!) and then mixed with corn meal to sweeten it[3]. 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[9]. (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[9]. The root can be dried for later use[9]. The root has been fermented to make an intoxicating drink[9]. The leaves are used for chewing[3][4]. They have a pleasant taste[9]. All these uses should be viewed with some caution, see the notes above on toxicity.

Product or use
Drink
Plant part
Leaves
Plant part
Root

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Thymeleaf sandmat was employed medicinally by a number of native North American Indian tribes who used it to treat a variety of complaints[9]. 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[9]. Externally, the decoction has been used as a wash on running sores and poison ivy rash[9]. 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[9]. A poultice made from the chewed plant has been applied to cuts to stop the bleeding[9]. The heated poultice has been used to treat toothache[9]. The dried leaves have been rubbed into scratches on the abdomen to treat dysentery and bloating in children[9]. The sap has been used to treat warts[9]. The sap needs to be applied at least once a day and will take some time to be effective.

Product or use
Galactogogue
Product or use
Haemostatic
Product or use
Odontalgic
Product or use
Poultice
Product or use
Skin
Product or use
Stings
Product or use
Stomachic
Product or use
Warts

Environment

Range
N. America - British Columbia to Michigan and Wisconsin, south to California, Texas and Mexico.
Habitat
Dry sandy or alluvial soils[10][8].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Soil textures
sandy, loamy
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

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

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

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[5]. Succeeds in dry soils[1]. Hybridizes with other members of this genus[5]. The ripe seed is released explosively from the seed capsules[5]. Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer or rabbits[7]. 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[2].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

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  2. Carruthers. S. P. (Editor) Alternative Enterprises for Agriculture in the UK. Centre for Agricultural Strategy, Univ. of Reading 1986-00-00 ISBN 0704909820

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  3. Yanovsky. E. Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237. U.S. Depf of Agriculture.

    ↩1↩2

  4. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

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  5. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  6. Matthews. V. The New Plantsman. Volume 1, 1994. Royal Horticultural Society 1994-00-00 ISBN 1352-4186

    ↩

  7. Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants J. M. Dent & Sons, London. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0 460 86048 8

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  8. Britton. N. L. Brown. A. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada Dover Publications. New York. 1970-00-00 ISBN 0-486-22642-5

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  9. Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-453-9

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6↩7↩8↩9↩10↩11↩12↩13

  10. Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950-00-00

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