Euphorbia trigona, the African milk tree,Timothy K. Broschat, Alan W. Meerow. ''Betrock's Reference Guide to Florida Landscape Plants''. Betrock Information Systems, 1991. p. 123. cathedral cactus, or Abyssinian euphorbia, is a species of flowering plant that originates from

Central Africa Central Africa (French language, French: ''Afrique centrale''; Spanish language, Spanish: ''África central''; Portuguese language, Portuguese: ''África Central'') is a subregion of the African continent comprising various countries accordin ...

. Somewhat common in cultivation as a houseplant or as a hedge, the species is one of the euphorbias with

succulent In botany, succulent plants, also known as succulents, are plants with parts that are thickened, fleshy, and engorged, usually to retain water in arid climates or soil conditions. The word ''succulent'' comes from the Latin word ''sucus'', meani ...

stems and branches as an adaptation to

arid climate The desert climate or arid climate (in the Köppen climate classification ''BWh'' and ''BWk'') is a dry climate sub-type in which there is a severe excess of evaporation over precipitation. The typically bald, rocky, or sandy surfaces in desert ...

Description

This succulent shrub has an upright stem and many branches that also grow upward. The stem and branches can have two or three sides. The stem itself is dark green with V-shaped light green patterns. The thorns occur in pairs on the stem's ridges. The drop shaped leaves grow from between the two thorns on each ridge. The plant has never been known to flower,''Medicinal Plants, Volume 1''. PROTA, 2008. p. 260. and is possibly a hybrid.

Cultivation

''Euphorbia trigona'' can withstand brief cold temperatures of down to . It prefers sandy soil but can cope with most types of well-drained soil. It can root easily from stem cuttings, if allowed to dry for 3–7 days before planting so that it can form a callus and not rot. It grows to a height of .

Chemistry

As with many other ''

Euphorbia ''Euphorbia'' is a large and diverse genus of flowering plants, commonly called spurge, in the family (biology), family Euphorbiaceae. Euphorbias range from tiny annual plants to large and long-lived trees, with perhaps the tallest being ''Eu ...

'' species, the

latex Latex is an emulsion (stable dispersion) of polymer microparticles in water. Latices are found in nature, but synthetic latices are common as well. In nature, latex is found as a wikt:milky, milky fluid, which is present in 10% of all floweri ...

from the plant is poisonous and can cause skin irritations. It is a pest-free plant. A problem that some trigonas face is that they are susceptible to falling over when fully grown because of their shallow and small root system.Fleurs Tropicales des Jardins D'Afrique, Miller, Euphorbia trigona,

Uses

The plant is known only in human cultivation and is commonly used as a house plant. It is used as a ritual plant and a hedge in

Gabon Gabon ( ; ), officially the Gabonese Republic (), is a country on the Atlantic coast of Central Africa, on the equator, bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the north, the Republic of the Congo to the east and south, and ...

References

External links

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1257890 trigona House plants Plants described in 1768 Taxa named by Philip Miller