Euphorbia ingens
It is a photograph of Euphorbia ingens, taken by Buck at Lotus Land.
This particular species is common in many areas of Africa. It is a wonderful example of what can be achieved with the right growing care and attention and of course the room to grow.
Plants grown in pots will obviously never attain these proportions and if because of our own circumstances this is the only way we can grow our plants, we tend to lose sight of the fact that these plants (true cacti and the succulent families) probably have more diversity in their growing habits than most other plant families on our planet.
The Euphorbias are an excellent example of this with species that are little more than the size of a golf ball, through to large tree-like plants. All Euphorbias have one thing in common, they exude a latex like white milky sap. This is poisonous and an irritant to the skin of humans. The strength of the poison in the sap depends upon the species of Euphorbia, but the sap of all Euphorbias is best avoided and adequate precautions should be taken when handling these plants.
When I talk about the poisonous latex, as I and many others have done hundreds of times. I always feel that I am putting people off what is a wonderful family of plants. There is no doubt about it, to the unwary, or people who do not know about the problem, the dangers are there. But if the plants are treated with the respect they deserve: Cover any open wounds on the hands; wear protective glasses if at all possible when cutting into the plant as in some species the sap is under pressure and can spurt out, in fact, good general awareness, there should be no problems and the plants can be enjoyed to the full.
The plant can make an upright, succulent tree with a dark green crown which is well rounded. In the right conditions it can grow over 30ft. The branches are segmented with spines running along the ridges of the segments. As with most Euphorbias it produces small, greenish yellow flowers on the ridges of the topmost segment of every branch and these appear from autumn to winter. The fruit, a round 3-lobed capsule, turns red to purple when ripening.
This tree prefers the warmth and can go through long periods of drought without any problems. It usually grows on rocky outcrops or in deep sand within bushveld vegetation. Distributed throughout KwaZulu-Natal, Swaziland, Limpopo Province, Gauteng, North-West Province, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and further into tropical Africa.
Please note that though these plants are suitable for gardens, they should not be planted where small children will be playing, because of the milky latex/sap that is very harmful if it comes into contact with the skin or eyes and if ingested.
