Euphorbia lactea
Candelabra spurge
- Also called Candelabra spurge, Mottled spurge, Dragon bones, Candelabra cactus
Spiny succulent shrub, 2-5 m
What it is
Euphorbia lactea looks like a cactus but is not one. It is a spurge, a succulent from South Asia, with upright three- or four-sided green stems marked with a pale, marbled stripe and edged with short paired spines. Like other spurges it is full of a white milky sap that burns skin and eyes, so it should be handled with gloves. It is native to Sri Lanka and India and is now planted throughout the tropics.
What it's used for
- Planted closely in a row, it makes a dense, thorny living fence that keeps goats and cattle out of gardens and young trees.
- It grows easily from cut stems and needs almost no water.
- Its sap is poisonous and irritating, which is part of why animals leave it alone.
Where we plant it
Our partners plant the mix of native species that suits each site and season, so a gift plants trees in the project rather than this one species. Euphorbia lactea is one of the species planted there.
More trees planted in Pollinator Agroforestry in Haiti
Moringa (benzolive)Moringa oleifera
Red mombin (siwèl)Spondias purpurea
Cassava (manyòk)Manihot esculenta
Mesquite or bayahondeProsopis juliflora
Spanish cedar (sèd)Cedrela odorata
Cacao, the chocolate treeTheobroma cacao
Sour orange (zoranj si)Citrus aurantium
Papaya (papay)Carica papaya
See all 16 species in Pollinator Agroforestry in Haiti
Other species we plant
Mangrove Restoration in Kenya
4 species
Rebuilding Oregon's Forests
5 species
Reforestation in Tamil Nadu, India
37 species
LimeberryBaheda or Beleric myrobalanBig-fruited jamunSouth Indian suregadaJamun, Naval or Black plumDevil pepper or Wild snakerootWoody-fruited PterospermumCork-leaved bayurVengai, Vijaysar or Indian kinoCeylon boxwoodCorky debbar treePanakka treeWinged naringi, a wild citrusPamburus, a wild citrus relativeElumbotti, the bone-knit shrubClimbing olaxBakul, Magizham or Spanish cherryKaya or Ironwood treeNotched-leaf spike thornPalai, Palu or KhirniPointed-leaf jasmineIndian screw tree or ValampuriGrewia, a dry-country shrubGrewia, a dry-forest shrubOrangeberry or KonjiGarlic fruit or Bitter garciniaHairy fig or PeyattiWild karanda or ConkerberryCansjera, a native forest climberShining bush-violetVagai or Siris treeUsilai or Krishna sirisChokkalai or Droopy leafWild lime or Kattu elumichaiKorinti, a custard-apple relativeIndian allophylus or TitberryLolly berry or Saptarangi
