euphorbia

eu·phor·bi·a   (yōō-fôr'bē-ə)    n.  A plant of the genus Euphorbia, which includes the spurges. [Middle English euforbia, from Latin euphorbea, after Euphorbus, first-century A.D. Greek physician.]

Main Entry: eu·phor·bia
Pronunciation: yu-'for-bE-&
Function: noun
1 : a large genus (family Euphorbiaceae) of plants that have amilky juice and flowers lacking a calyx and included in an involucre which surrounds a group of several staminate flowers and a central pistillate flower with 3-lobed pistils and that include a numberwhich have been used medicinally
2 : any plant of the genus Euphorbia; also : any of various other plants that belong to the same family (Euphorbiaceae)