Dictionary

African milk tree en · NOUN

Etymology

Named for the white latex released whenever one of the cylindrical stems is pierced or cut. See also African milk barrel.

Meanings

1. A type of succulent plant cultivated in West Africa, resembling a cactus, of species Euphorbia trigona.
   • One problem that you may encounter with your African milk tree is that because of their height and small root structure, these plants have a tendency to topple over. 2017 September 14, Maaike Koster, Emma Sibley, “Euphorbia trigona”, in Urban Botanics: An Indoor Plant Guide for Modern Gardeners, Quarto Publishing Group USA, →ISBN:
   • The African milk tree is a fast-growing, triangular-stemmed succulent from Angola and central Africa. It forms a multi-branched, upright plant, which can grow up to 3m/10ft, but is unlikely to reach this size as a potted plant. 2023 April 11, Paul Rees, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, The Kew Gardener's Guide to Growing Cacti and Succulents, Frances Lincoln, →ISBN, page 85:
   • An example of a species found in western Africa is Euphorbia trigona, commonly known as the African milk tree. The sap of this species was able to cause loss of corneal epithelium 16 h after direct exposure to the sap in a 60-year-old male. 2014 May 30, Victor Kuete, Toxicological Survey of African Medicinal Plants, Elsevier, →ISBN, page 505:

Forms

Hypernyms

angiosperm · rosid · euphorbia · eudicot · tracheophyte · malvid · plant · fabid · spurge

Synonyms

cathedral cactus

Translations (1)

mul Euphorbia trigona (Euphorbia trigona)