Euphorbia trigona
Haw.
African milk tree
iNaturalist· cc-by
(c) Hafiz Issadeen, some rights reserved (CC BY)
iNaturalist· cc0
no rights reserved
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) onidiras-iNaturalist, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by onidiras-iNaturalist
Summary
Source: WikipediaEuphorbia trigona, the African milk tree, cathedral cactus, or Abyssinian euphorbia, is a species of flowering plant that originates from Central Africa. Somewhat common in cultivation as a houseplant or as a hedge, the species is one of the euphorbias with succulent stems and branches as an adaptation to arid climates.
Description
A small succulent, cactus-like shrub. It grows 1-1.8 m high. The branches are erect and triangle shaped. They are dark green and mottled with white. The spines are reddish-brown.
Edible Uses
A sweetmeat is made from the leaves by boiling them with sugar after removing the latex.
Traditional Uses
Caution: All Euphorbias or spurges have irritating sap and many have chemicals that can cause cancer. A sweetmeat is made from the leaves. They are boiled with sugar and the latex removed. (Euphorbia trigona)
Medicinal Uses
Some drops of latex in palm wine are taken in severe cases of constipation or in case of an epileptic attack. The latex contains 8-methoxyingol esters, which are very irritant to the skin. It also contains lectins with potent erythrocyte agglutinating ability.
Known Hazards
All Euphorbias have irritating sap and many contain chemicals that can cause cancer. Most Euphorbias have sap which irritates the skin.
Distribution
A tropical plant. It suits hardiness zones 9-11. In Townsville palmetum.
Where It Grows
Africa, Asia, Australia, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Namibia, SE Asia, Southern Africa,
Cultivation
Plants are not tolerant of frosts. Prefers a position in light shade. It is possibly of hybrid origin, as it is only known in cultivation and is not known to flower.
Other Uses
The plant is grown as a hedge.
Notes
There are about 2000 Euphorbia species. Most Euphorbias have sap which irritates the skin.
Also Known As
Shazaung-pyatthat
References (8)
- Ambasta, S.P. (Ed.), 2000, The Useful Plants of India. CSIR India. p 214 (Euphorbia trigona)
- Burkill, I.H., 1966, A Dictionary of the Economic Products of the Malay Peninsula. Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Vol 1 (A-H) p 993 (Euphorbia trigona)
- Cundall, P., (ed.), 2004, Gardening Australia: flora: the gardener's bible. ABC Books. p 589 (Euphorbia trigona)
- Etherington, K., & Imwold, D., (Eds), 2001, Botanica's Trees & Shrubs. The illustrated A-Z of over 8500 trees and shrubs. Random House, Australia. p 315 (Euphorbia trigona)
- Hibbert, M., 2002, The Aussie Plant Finder 2002, Florilegium. p 100 (? trigona)
Show all 8 references Hide references
- Martin, F.W. & Ruberte, R.M., 1979, Edible Leaves of the Tropics. Antillian College Press, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. p 192 (Euphorbia trigyna)
- Staples, G.W. and Herbst, D.R., 2005, A tropical Garden Flora. Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu, Hawaii. p 283
- Terra, G.J.A., 1973, Tropical Vegetables. Communication 54e Royal Tropical Institute, Amsterdam, p 46
