| Euphorbia damarana | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Bush in Namibia | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Malpighiales |
| Family: | Euphorbiaceae |
| Genus: | Euphorbia |
| Species: | E. damarana |
| Binomial name | |
| Euphorbia damarana | |
Euphorbia damarana also known as Damara milk-bush and locally as melkbos is a species of flowering plant native to Namibia.
Euphorbia damarana was described by Leslie Charles Leach and published in Bothalia 11: 500. 1975.
The plant consists of slender and grey stems growing up to a height of 2.5 meters. [2] Yellow-brown capsules appear at the tips of the plant during the fruiting season. [2] The plants may not bear fruit as individual plants are either male or female. [2]
The plant is regarded as one of the most toxic plants in Namibia, but specific studies into its toxicity are not known. It has been reported that the toxic milky latex of the plant is capable of killing animals and humans except rhino and oryx who feed upon it. [3] It has been reported that if you have an open wound and come into contact with the plant its poison could kill you. [3] Another story implicated it in the deaths of 11 Oshiwambo-speaking miners at the Uis Tin Mine after consuming food cooked over a fire of Euphorbia damarana. [3]
A noted use is to contaminate watering holes with the plant's latex to poison and catch game which drink from the watering hole. [4] The plant's toxic latex is highly irritating to skin and mucous membranes. [4]
Euphorbia is a very large and diverse genus of flowering plants, commonly called spurge, in the family Euphorbiaceae. "Euphorbia" is sometimes used in ordinary English to collectively refer to all members of Euphorbiaceae, not just to members of the genus.
The poinsettia is a commercially important flowering plant species of the diverse spurge family Euphorbiaceae. Indigenous to Mexico and Central America, the poinsettia was first described by Europeans in 1834. It is particularly well known for its red and green foliage and is widely used in Christmas floral displays. It derives its common English name from Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first United States minister to Mexico, who is credited with introducing the plant to the US in the 1820s. Poinsettias are shrubs or small trees, with heights of 0.6 to 4 m. Though often stated to be highly toxic, the poinsettia is not dangerous to pets or children. Exposure to the plant, even consumption, most often results in no effect, though it can cause nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea.
Apocynaceae is a family of flowering plants that includes trees, shrubs, herbs, stem succulents, and vines, commonly known as the dogbane family, because some taxa were used as dog poison. Members of the family are native to the European, Asian, African, Australian, and American tropics or subtropics, with some temperate members. The former family Asclepiadaceae is considered a subfamily of Apocynaceae and contains 348 genera. A list of Apocynaceae genera may be found here.
Strychnos nux-vomica, the strychnine tree, also known as nux vomica, poison fruit, semen strychnos, and quaker buttons, is a deciduous tree native to India and to southeast Asia. It is a medium-sized tree in the family Loganiaceae that grows in open habitats. Its leaves are ovate and 5–9 centimetres (2–3.5 in) in size. It is known for being the natural source of the extremely poisonous compound strychnine.
Euphorbia heterophylla, also known under the common names of Mexican fireplant, painted euphorbia, Japanese poinsettia, paintedleaf, painted spurge and milkweed, is a plant belonging to the Euphorbiaceae or spurge family.
Euphorbia tithymaloides is a perennial succulent spurge. An erect shrub, the plant is also known by the scientific name Pedilanthus tithymaloides. However, the genus Pedilanthus has been subsumed into the genus Euphorbia, and is more correctly known by its new name.
Euphorbia tirucalli is a tree native to Africa that grows in semi-arid tropical climates. A hydrocarbon plant, it produces a poisonous latex that can cause temporary blindness.
The Brandberg is Namibia's highest mountain.
Euphorbia atropurpurea, called tabaiba majorera or tabaiba roja in Spanish, is a shrub in the family Euphorbiaceae native to Tenerife in the Canary Islands. It can reach 2 metres in height, and grows in ravines, and on slopes and terraces.
Euphorbia cupularis, referred to by the common name dead-man's tree is a succulent tree or shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae. It is found in South Africa and Eswatini.
Astrophytum asterias is a species of cactus in the genus Astrophytum, and is native to small parts of Texas in the United States and Mexico. Common names include sand dollar cactus, sea urchin cactus, star cactus and star peyote.
Euphorbia candelabrum is a succulent species of plant in the family Euphorbiaceae, one of several plants commonly known as candelabra tree. It is endemic to the Horn of Africa and eastern Africa along the East African Rift system. It is known in Ethiopia by its Amharic name, qwolqwal, or its Oromo name, adaamii. It is closely related to three other species of Euphorbia: Euphorbia ingens in the dry regions of southern Africa, Euphorbia conspicua from western Angola, and Euphorbia abyssinica, which is native to countries including Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti, Ethiopia and Somalia.
Euphorbiaceae, the spurge family, is a large family of flowering plants. In English, they are also commonly called euphorbias, which is also the name of the type genus of the family. Most spurges, such as Euphorbia paralias, are herbs, but some, especially in the tropics, are shrubs or trees, such as Hevea brasiliensis. Some, such as Euphorbia canariensis, are succulent and resemble cacti because of convergent evolution. This family has a cosmopolitan global distribution. The greatest diversity of species is in the tropics; however, the Euphorbiaceae also have many species in nontropical areas of all continents except Antarctica.
Euphorbia ingens is a species of flowering plant in the family Euphorbiaceae. It is native to dry areas of southern Africa. It is popularly known as the candelabra tree or naboom. Its milky latex can be extremely poisonous and is a dangerous irritant.
Latex is an emulsion of polymer microparticles in water. Latexes are found in nature, but synthetic latexes are common as well.
Euphorbia obesa is a subtropical succulent species of flowering plant in the genus Euphorbia. It comes from the south-central Cape Provinces of South Africa. Sometimes referred to as the baseball plant.
Euphorbia grantii (syn.) Synadenium grantii) is a species of succulent plant in the family Euphorbiaceae, which is native to Africa.
Euphorbia mammillaris is a plant species endemic to Cape Province of South Africa. Euphorbia mammillaris, also known as African or Indian corn-cob, is a fast-growing shrublet, with thick stems that are chalky green, erect and ribbed.
Euphorbia mauritanica, commonly known as yellow milk bush or golden spurge, is a species of plant in the family Euphorbiaceae native to Africa.
Euphorbia caducifolia is a subtropical succulent species of flowering plant in the family Euphorbiaceae. It is found in the arid regions of northwestern Indian subcontinent. In India it is known as the leafless milk hedge.