Common Names: Olive spurge, Plum-fruited spurge
Local Names:
Species ID: NMP-261 | wfo-0001049173 | NCBI_Taxonomy ID: 212879

Kingdom: Plantae

Clade: Angiosperms

Clade: Eudicots

Clade: Rosids

Order: Malpighiales

Family: Euphorbiaceae

Genus: Euphorbia

Species: E. drupifera

Synonyms: Elaeophorbia drupifera (Thonn.) Stapf; Euphorbia elastica Poiss. & Pax; Euphorbia renouardii Pax; Euphorbia toxicaria Afzel. ex Steud.

• Habit: Succulent shrub or small tree, typically 2–6 m tall (up to ~10 m), with rounded or spreading crown (Burkill, 1985; POWO).
• Bark/latex: Grey-brown bark with longitudinal fissures; copious white latex that is irritant (Burkill, 1985; Useful Tropical Plants).
• Leaves: Simple, alternate, elliptic to oblong (5–15 × 2–6 cm), dark-green glossy, short petioles (Fern, 2024).
• Flowers: Greenish-yellow unisexual flowers in cyathia (specialized Euphorbia inflorescences), blooming seasonally (Prance & Jongkind, 2015).
• Fruit: Globose to slightly lobed capsules (≈8–12 mm), green to reddish-brown at maturity; seeds dispersed by explosive dehiscence (POWO; Fern, 2024).

• Geographic range: West and Central Africa (e.g., Nigeria, Ghana, Benin, Togo, Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon, DR Congo) and into East Africa (Uganda, Tanzania) (Plants of the World Online; Useful Tropical Plants).
• Habitats: Dry savannas, woodlands, forest edges, disturbed sites; prefers well-drained sandy/rocky soils with ~800–1,500 mm rainfall; to ~1,200 m elevation (Fern, 2024).
• Ecology: Pioneer in disturbed areas; latex deters herbivory; flowers visited by bees/flies (Burkill, 1985).

• Antibacterial (including MDR strains): Methanol leaf extract and fractions showed broad antibacterial activity with MICs ranging 32–1,024 μg/mL; subfraction EDLc3 achieved MIC 16 μg/mL against MRSA11 and EDLc33 recorded 8 μg/mL against Providencia stuartii NAE16. Isolated constituents included stigmasterol, β-sitosterol, euphol, and methylellagic acid glycosides (Voukeng et al., 2017).
• Antiviral (HIV-1/HIV-2): Comparative in vitro study reported activity of E. drupifera extract against HIV-1 and HIV-2 relative to AZT, supporting traditional claims (Ayisi & Nyadedzor, 2003).
• Cytotoxic/anticancer: Extracts displayed cytotoxicity toward drug-sensitive and multidrug-resistant human cancer cell lines; E. drupifera extracts achieved low IC50 values (sub-10 μg/mL reported against some lines), suggesting apoptosis-related mechanisms (Kuete et al., 2013).
• Cardiovascular effects: Root extract produced significant cardiovascular actions in experimental models (e.g., hypotensive/vasoactive profiles), aligning with some folk uses (Eno & Owo, 1999).
• Uterine smooth muscle/cholinoceptor action: Leaf extract stimulated autonomic cholinoceptors in rat uterus, indicating notable smooth-muscle pharmacology (Eno & Itam, 1998).
• Hypoglycaemic potential: “Hypoglycaemic agent(s)” reported from the leaves in a pharmacological note (Eno & Itam, 1999).

⚠ Toxicity & Safety: Euphorbia latex is a potent irritant: dermal exposure can cause contact dermatitis and ocular exposure can lead to severe keratoconjunctivitis and temporary blindness; ingestion irritates the GI tract. These hazards are well documented across Euphorbia spp., and the latex of E. drupifera should be handled with eye/skin protection (Useful Tropical Plants; StatPearls review on Euphorbia latex; recent ocular case literature). Avoid use in pregnancy/children. Seek medical care for eye exposure (StatPearls; case literature).

Euphol (triterpenoid)

β-Sitosterol

Stigmasterol

Sitosterol-O-β-D-xylopyranoside

3,3′,4′-Tri-O-methylellagic acid

Ellagic acid glycosides

Afzelin (kaempferol-3-O-rhamnoside)

Quercetin-3-O-β-xylopyranoside

Ingenol reported in related Elaeophorbia spp.

Identifications above are from isolation work on E. drupifera leaves and active fractions (Ahiahonu & Goodenowe, 2007; Voukeng et al., 2017) and earlier reports of ingenane diterpenes in Elaeophorbia spp. (Kinghorn & Evans, 1974).

• Ornamental/xeriscape: Drought-tolerant, used in hedges and dry-zone landscaping (Fern, 2024).
• Cultural: Latex used in certain West African traditional practices (Burkill, 1985).
• Ecological: Pioneer on degraded soils; latex deters grazing; supports pollinator visitation (Burkill, 1985; Fern, 2024).

• Ahiahonu, P. W. K., & Goodenowe, D. B. (2007). Triterpenoids from leaves of Elaeophorbia drupifera. Fitoterapia, 78(5), 337–341.

• Ayisi NK, Nyadedzor C. Comparative in vitro effects of AZT and extracts of Ocimum gratissimum, Ficus polita, Clausena anisata, Alchornea cordifolia, and Elaeophorbia drupifera against HIV-1 and HIV-2 infections. Antiviral Res. 2003 Mar;58(1):25-33. doi: 10.1016/s0166-3542(02)00166-3. PMID: 12719004.

• Burkill, H. M. (1985). The useful plants of West Tropical Africa (Vol. 1). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

• Eno, A. E., & Itam, E. H. (1998). Stimulation of autonomic cholinoceptors in the rat uterus by a crude extract from Elaeophorbia drupifera leaves. Pharmaceutical Biology, 36(2), 97–102.

• Eno, A. E., & Itam, E. H. (1999). Hypoglycaemic agent(s) in leaves of Elaeophorbia drupifera. Phytotherapy Research, 13(8), 680–682. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1099-1573(199612)10:8%3C680::AID-PTR881%3E3.0.CO;2-C

• Eno, A. E., & Owo, O. I. (1999). Cardiovascular effects of an extract from the roots of a shrub Elaeophorbia drupifera. Phytotherapy Research, 13(7), 549–554. https://doi.org/10.1002/(sici)1099-1573(199911)13:7%3C549::aid-ptr464%3E3.0.co;2-q

• Fern, K. (2024). Euphorbia drupifera. Useful Tropical Plants. https://tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Euphorbia+drupifera

• Kinghorn, A. D., & Evans, F. J. (1974). The occurrence of ingenol in Elaeophorbia species. Planta Medica, 26(2), 150–154.

• Kuete, V., Voukeng, I. K., Tsobou, R., Mbaveng, A. T., Wiench, B., Beng, V. P., & Efferth, T. (2013). Cytotoxicity of Elaoephorbia drupifera and other Cameroonian medicinal plants against drug-sensitive and multidrug-resistant cancer cells. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 13, 250.

• Plants of the World Online. (n.d.). Euphorbia drupifera Thonn. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:346326-1

• Prance, G. T., & Jongkind, C. C. H. (2015). Euphorbiaceae. In Flora of West Tropical Africa. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

• StatPearls. (2023). Euphorbia tirucalli toxicity. StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK574526/ (general Euphorbia latex toxicity reference)

• Useful Tropical Plants. (n.d.). Euphorbia drupifera – notes on uses and hazards. https://tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Euphorbia+drupifera

• Voukeng, I. K., Kammalac, T. N., Gohlke, S., Kouipou, R. M. T., Aslan, A., Kuzu, M., … Boyom, F. F. (2017). Antibacterial activities of the methanol extract, fractions and compounds from Elaeophorbia drupifera leaves against MDR bacteria. BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies, 17, 517.

• Useful Tropical Plants - Euphorbia drupifera

• Plants of the World Online - Euphorbia drupifera

• Green Institute - Elaeophorbia drupifera

• PlantNet - Euphorbia drupifera

• euphan-8, 24-diene-3-ol

Famuyiwa, S. O., Oladele, A. T., Adeloye, A. O., & Fakunle, C. O. (2014). Terpenoid compounds from the latex of Euphorbia drupifera. Ife Journal of Science, 16(1), 1-5.