Question

Which of the following is considered as a petroleum plant?
(a) Sugarcane
(b) Maize
(c) Potato
(d) Euphorbia

Answer 1

Hint: Petroleum plants refers to the plants with large amounts of latex with long-chain hydrocarbons. Latex of these plants is used as a substitute for liquid fuels or petroleum. Certain latex-producing plants commonly called spurge, in the spurge family, are examples of petroleum plants.

Complete answer:
Euphorbia is a petroleum plant. The hydrocarbons known as terpenoids produced by this plant are similar to petroleum. It belongs to the family Euphorbiaceae. The latex produced by this plant can be converted to useful fuels. This latex can be converted into natural gas and gasoline. This plant produces about 20 tonnes of dry matter per hectare per year. Gasoline is an alternative fuel that can be used in vehicles.

Additional Information:
-Euphorbia plants usually range from tiny annual plants to large and long-lived trees. The genus has over 2,000 members. So it’s one of the largest genera of flowering plants.
-The plants have a poisonous, milky, white, latex-like sap. It has unusual and unique floral structures. The head of the flowers looks like a single flower
- It has a specific pseudanthium, called a cyathium. In cyathium, each flower in the head is reduced to an essential part that is needed for sexual reproduction.

So, the correct answer is 'Euphorbia'.

Note:
- Its individual flowers are either male or female. The male flowers are reduced to stamen and the female flowers to the pistil.
- These flowers are without sepals, petals, or other parts of a typical flower. Structures supporting the flower head and other structures underneath have evolved to attract pollinators with nectar, and with shapes and colors.
- So, that function in a way petals and other flower parts do in other flowers. It is the only genus of plants that has all three kinds of photosynthesis.