A family of flowering plants (order Malpighiales). Many members are important food sources. Others are useful for their waxes and oils and as a source of medicinal drugs; dangerous for their poisonous fruits, leaves, or sap; or attractive for their colorful bracts (leaflike structures located just below flower clusters) or unusual forms. Although species of the family grow throughout the world, except in cold alpine or arctic regions, most of them are found in temperate or tropical regions. The family consists of annual and perennial herbs and woody shrubs or trees as well as a few climbers.

Britannica Editors. "Euphorbiaceae". Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 May. 2026, https://www.britannica.com/plant/Euphorbiaceae. Accessed 19 September 2026.