Cutting the top off of my Euphorbia ammak

[WayneByerly]

For several reasons, none of which are part of this story, the top 3 or 4 inches of my E. ammak was growing rather raggedly ... it really looked like it was in poor shape, which is not surprising considering that I took the advice that I got here, and separated the two stalks and put them both in different containers. A real stressful act. Stressful for the plant.

So I decided to cut off the top 4 inches of this spectacularly attractive succulent. I got out a serrated (as I had read that they have a REAL woody interior structure) kitchen knife that I reserve for non-food type work, cleaned it to a degree that I deemed adequate, grasped the top of the plant with my left hand, and with 2 or 3 quick strokes, I cut it off.

And THIS is why i'm writing ...

When I started cutting, the thick white sap JETTED out of the first rib that I cut, and then, to all practical purposes, oozed a HEAVY, THICK stream of sap that was of such a quantity for about 3 or 4 seconds, that I was reminded of seeing an animals throat cut and the blood jetting from its aorta ... it didn't drip out ... it RAN out. I had watered the plant about 3 days prior, so I'm rather inclined to believe that the plant had simply taken up a LOT of water and had pressurized it in its stem. But I have NEVER witnessed sap run so profusely from a plant.

Oh ... remember the Tarzan movies on TV? When the intrepid great white hunter slashed through a vine with his always ready to hand machete and drank from the stream that emitted from the cut end of the vine? THAT is what it looked like. There MUST have been a good 4 ounces of liquid (and maybe more ... i didn't think to "measure" it) run from the ground end of the stalk. I was SO surprised at the quantity of liquid that I didn't even think to look at the end that I had just cut off.

NO pictures ... NO questions ... I just thought that somehow SOME part of this might interest someone...

[raleif]

haha, thank you for this, it totally made my day.

[mikethecactusguy]

Hi
And you know how dangerous that white sap is, right?

[badlands]

LOL! This is actually very good information to know. Thank you.

I experienced surprise also when I cut into my Moroccan Mound, euphorbia resinifera, to propagate it. I expected an ooze, you know, a slow drip of sorts, but the dang thing poured white stuff all over table! Eek! You just don’t really know until you do it yourself.