Euphorbiaceae
Chrozophora oblongifolia (Del.) A. Juss. ex Spring., Syst. Veg. Ed. 16. 3:850
(1826). Plate Euph. 7.
= Croton oblongifolium Del. (1812).
Arabic Names: Tannoum, Haidqaan, Neela
Tanoum - Haidan - Nile
-Perennial herb to shrublet, 0.4-1 m tall with all parts evenly stellate-hairy except petals, ovary and seeds. Leaves with filiform to subulate, 2-3 mm long stipules, and 0.5-3.5 cm long petioles; blades 2-7 x 0.8-3 cm, more than 2 times longer than broad, ovate-lanceolate, sharply serrate, acute, cuneate to rounded at base. Inflorescence an axillary or rarely leaf-opposed raceme, 1-1.5 cm long. Male flowers: subsessile; sepals c. 2.5 3.5 cm long, linear-lanceoalte; petals lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, scale-covered outside, yellowish; stamens 4-7 (-12). Female flowers: pedicel c. 5 mm long, accrescent in fruit up to 2-3 cm, deflexed; sepals and petals as in males; ovary covered with dense, silvery scales, c. 2 mm across; styles 3, each 2-branched. Capsule 4-6 x 6-8 mm, obtusely 3-lobed, conical tubercled, purplish- blue, densely scale covered. Seeds 4-5 x 3-4 mm, 3-angular-ovoid, grayish, coarsely tubercled.
Saudi Arabia: Common in the plains.
Distribution: Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea, Somalia, Arabia to S. Asia, rare in Palestine