African Milk Tree (Euphorbia trigona)

Also known as 'Cathedral Cactus', Euphorbia trigona is a perennial plant and native to central Africa. Though it looks like a cactus, it's actually a succulent plant. It gets its common name ‘African Milk Tree’ from the toxic white sap in its stems. Many species of succulents in the genus Euphorbia have this milky latex substance. Cutting or puncturing the plant causes milk to leak. Some people mistakenly call this substance 'cactus sap'.

 

Seen and photographed at the San Francisco Zoo.

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