Euphorbia grandifolia
Euphorbia grandifolia
Safety & Hazards
The latex present in all parts of the tree is caustic. It is an ingredient of arrow-poison and is also used as a fish-poison[1]. The latex is recognised as being dangerous to the eyes. It is a common ordeal-poison, being applied directly to the eye. Anyone admitting their crimes quickly receives an antidote - a decoction of dried leaves of this plant made in a young virgin’s urine, or a decoction of an (unspecified) mucilaginous plant. Nevertheless the latex can still cause irreparable damage[1]. The latex is particularly toxic to the mucosae, causing blistering in the mouth[1]. Recent work has shown that the esters of the two groups of diterpene alcohols commonly present in the Euphorbiaceae are responsible for the irritant, co-carcinogenic, piscicidal and toxicological properties[1].
Cultivation Details
Not known
Propagation
Seed - Stem cuttings root easily. They should be at least 20cm long and, after being taken they should be allowed to lie in a shaded place for at least a week prior to planting in order to develop a callus on the cut end[2]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Euphorbia+grandifolia>
Pollinators
Data unavailable
References
- [1]The Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa. — Burkil. H. M. · Royal Botanic Gardens; Kew. · 1985 - 2004 ↩︎Brief descriptions and details of the uses of over 4,000 plants. A superb, if terse, resource, it is also available electronically on the Web - see http://www.aluka.org/
- [2]Protabase - Plant Resources of Tropical Africa. — http://www.prota.org ↩︎An excellent on-line database with detailed information on over 3,200 species of useful plants of Africa.