Description of a new species
Euphorbia sankarensis was described by Naidu and Kusom in 2026 from material collected on Sankari Hill in Tamil Nadu. The species name refers to that hill. This account follows the protologue, the publication containing the original description. A separate species record in POWO was not confirmed during the check on 21 October 2026 [Naidu and Kusom 2026] [2-WWW].
Habit and stem structure
The shrub usually reaches 1.75 m and occasionally about 2 m in height, with profuse branching. Its succulent stems are three-angled and seldom distinctly twisted. Their short segments measure 5–8 cm long and 2–2.5 cm in diameter. Spines arise in diverging pairs. The tiny triangular leaves are 1–2 mm long. Identification depends on these features together with inflorescence and fruit structure [Naidu and Kusom 2026].
Cyathia and seeds
Cyathia contain small flowers within a shared involucre. Both male and bisexual cyathia were described in E. sankarensis. Glands are fan-shaped in male cyathia and elliptic in bisexual ones. The three styles are united to the middle and divided at their tips. Distinguishing the two kinds of cyathium matters when gland shapes are compared [Naidu and Kusom 2026].
The almost globose capsules measure 6–6.5 mm across. Their dorsal ridges are weakly developed, and their upper surfaces are concave. Brown seeds range from nearly globose to globose and are 2–2.2 mm long. The diagnostic table describes them as lacking a caruncle, a small seed-coat outgrowth present in some spurges. Flowering phenology was reported from April to June [Naidu and Kusom 2026].
Rocky habitat
Plants occur on the slopes and summit of Sankari Hill, particularly among granite rocks in scrub vegetation. The authors recorded more than 240 individuals during field observations. This count describes the plants observed rather than a complete estimate of global abundance. The paper does not assign an IUCN threat category to the species [Naidu and Kusom 2026].
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