Euphorbiaceae

Euphorbiaceae, commonly called the spurge family, is a family of flowering plants in the order Malpighiales comprising approximately 300 genera and about 7,500 species, making it the fifth largest flowering plant family. Most members are herbaceous, though tropical species can be shrubs or trees, and some have evolved a cactus like appearance through convergent evolution despite no close relation to cacti. The family occurs worldwide except Antarctica and includes the rubber tree, cassava, the castor oil plant, and the ornamental poinsettia.