What is "euphorbia helioscopia"

Wartwort \Wart"wort`\, n. (Bot.) A name given to several plants because they were thought to be a cure for warts, as a kind of spurge ( Euphorbia Helioscopia), and the nipplewort ( Lampsana communis).

Wart \Wart\, n. [OE. werte, AS. wearte; akin to D. wrat, G. warze, OHG. warza, Icel. varta, Sw. v[*a]rta, Dan. vorte; perh. orig., a growth, and akin to E. wort; or cf. L. verruca wart.]

1. (Med.) A small, usually hard, tumor on the skin formed by enlargement of its vascular papill[ae], and thickening of the epidermis which covers them.

2. An excrescence or protuberance more or less resembling a true wart; specifically (Bot.), a glandular excrescence or hardened protuberance on plants.

   Fig wart, Moist wart (Med.), a soft, bright red, pointed or tufted tumor found about the genitals, often massed into groups of large size. It is a variety of condyloma. Called also pointed wart, venereal wart.
   --L. A. Duhring.

   Wart cress (Bot.), the swine's cress. See under Swine.

   Wart snake (Zo["o]l.), any one of several species of East Indian colubrine snakes of the genus Acrochordus, having the body covered with wartlike tubercles or spinose scales, and lacking cephalic plates and ventral scutes.

   Wart spurge (Bot.), a kind of wartwort ( Euphorbia Helioscopia).

Turnsole \Turn"sole`\, n. [F. tournesol, It. tornasole; tornare to turn (LL. tornare) + sole the sun, L. sol. See Turn, Solar, a., and cf. Heliotrope.] [Written also turnsol.]

1. (Bot.)

   1. A plant of the genus Heliotropium; heliotrope; -- so named because its flowers are supposed to turn toward the sun.

   2. The sunflower.

   3. A kind of spurge ( Euphorbia Helioscopia).

   4. The euphorbiaceous plant Chrozophora tinctoria.

2. (Chem.)

   1. Litmus. [Obs.]

   2. A purple dye obtained from the plant turnsole. See def. 1 (d) .

Euphorbia helioscopia (sun spurge) is a species of spurge native to most of Europe, northern Africa, and eastward through most of Asia.

Other old folk names include wart spurge, umbrella milkweed and "madwoman's milk".