African Milk Tree (Euphorbia trigona)
Description
“Pet poisonous” – Toxic parts: leaves, stem, flowers Euphorbia trigona (also known as African milk tree, cathedral cactus, Abyssinian euphorbia, and high chaparall, is a perennial plant that originally comes from Central Africa. It has an upright stem and number of 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 about 5mm long thorns are placed in pairs of two 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, and is possibly a hybrid. As with many other Euphorbia species, the latex from the plant is poisonous and can cause skin irritations. The trigona can withstand brief cold temperatures of up to -3 degrees. It prefers sandy soil but can withstand 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 from 1.5 – 3 meters. It is a pest-free plant. Some trigonas are susceptible to falling over when fully grown because of their shallow and small root system.
Taxonomic tree
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Domain: Eukarya
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Kingdom: Plantae
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Phylum:
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Class: Magnoliopsida
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Order: Malpighiales
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Family: Euphorbiaceae
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Genus: Euphorbia
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