A large and diverse temperate and tropical family, well represented in West Africa by woody species in both forest and savanna.

Members of the family may be recognised by their alternate, simple, mostly stipulate, pinnately nerved leaves, and by the frequent presence of latex, glands, stellate and peltate scales. Flowers are small, ♂ or ♀, usually five-part and in inflorescences which are often axillary and condensed. The ♀ flowers usually have a three-celled ovary forming a three-lobed fruit with one or two seeds in each cell. Casearia (now Keayodendron) bridelioides has been transferred from the Samydaceae, which, in turn, is now joined with the Flacourtiaceae.

Species introduced for decorative purposes from America include poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima), sandbox tree (Hum crepitans) and three species of jatropha. Snow bush (Breynia nivosa, now B. disticha var. disticha f. nivosa (Radcliffe- Smith, 1980) and croton (Codiaeum variegatum) have been introduced from Polynesia.

Some Euphorbias are recognisable at a distance, being shrubs or trees with fleshy, often angular, branches without leaves, which are minute and soon fall, but sometimes with spines. These c. 10 species occur in drier savannas, on inselbergs and sometimes as hedges (Marnier-Lapostolle, 1966; Rauh, Loffler & Uhlarz, 1969). Both these and the herbaceous species, e.g. E. glaucophylla on the shore, have latex and possess distinctive inflorescences (pseudanthia, cyathia). Similar inflorescences are seen in Elaeophorbia, of which there are two species of forest trees with fleshy angular branches, fleshy leaves and paired spines.