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African Milk Tree

Euphorbia trigona, Euphorbiaceae

Sources last read 14 September 2026.

Not yet rated How forgiving it is has not been judged here yet.

Also called Abyssinian Euphorbia, African Milk Bush, Candelabra Cactus, Cathedral Cactus, Finger Tree, Friendship Cactus, Good Luck Cactus and marble column.

African Milk Tree (Euphorbia trigona), the whole plant.
David E Mead, CC0 · Wikimedia Commons

African Milk Tree is toxic

  • Not assessed for cats. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
  • Not assessed for dogs. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
  • Toxic to people. Listed as harmful to people; the details of the harm could not be read from the source. RHS

What the sources say about its care

Light
Full sun, Partial shade
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Water
Well-drained
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Humidity

No source read publishes a humidity figure for any plant on this site. What follows is general guidance for foliage plants.

Most foliage plants prefer more humidity than a heated room gives; succulents are named as an exception
Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Temperature

How cold this tolerates, not what it prefers. No source read for this site publishes a preferred range for a plant indoors.

H2 — 1–5°C 1–5 °C
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Soil
Loam, Sand; pH Acid or Alkaline or Neutral
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Toxic to cats
Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.
ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
Toxic to dogs
Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.
ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
Harmful to people
Listed as harmful to people; the details of the harm could not be read from the source.
RHS · read 13 September 2026

Routine care

Watering
Water sparingly and avoid giving too much. Water when the soil is dry 1 to 2 inches down from the surface.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Propagation
Stem cuttings or air layering can be used for propagation.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
In spring or early summer, take cuttings; to stop bleeding, dip each cut surface in lukewarm water or charcoal.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Pruning
In early spring, prune to reduce size when needed.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Pests and diseases
Mealybugs can occur. Diseases: usually none.
RHS · read 13 September 2026

Move something and watch

Loading the simulator. It needs JavaScript; the care table above does not.

Close view of African Milk Tree (Euphorbia trigona) foliage.
Close upPseudopanax at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
African Milk Tree (Euphorbia trigona) growing wild.
In the wildDaderot, CC0 · Wikimedia Commons

About the plant

Euphorbia trigona, the African milk tree, cathedral cactus, or Abyssinian euphorbia, is a species of flowering plant that originates from Central Africa. Somewhat common in cultivation as a houseplant or as a hedge, the species is one of the euphorbias with succulent stems and branches as an adaptation to arid climates.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · read 13 September 2026

Native range
Gabon to Malawi
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Gabon to Malawi
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
C Africa
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Climate
seasonally dry tropical
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Growth form
succulent shrub or tree
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Herbaceous Perennial, Shrub, Succulent, Tree; habit columnar, erect, multi-stemmed
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Columnar upright (evergreen)
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Size
Height 72–144 in; width 60–120 in
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Height 2.5-4 metres; spread 0.5-1 metres after 10–20 years
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Flowering
Flowers gold/yellow, green, white; blooms in spring, summer
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Flowers green in spring and summer
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Uses

What sources record people using this plant for. A traditional or medicinal use listed here is a record of use, not advice to eat it or treat anything with it.

Where it grows natively it is used as medicine: leaves as a poultice for boils, the milky sap for earaches, and the plant for allergies, muscle swelling and psoriasis. It is also grown as an ornamental and as a hedge. Its sap is toxic and irritating if swallowed or touched.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026

Other Euphorbia

More of the Euphorbiaceae family

Plants with similar care

Sources

What this does not cover

The figures above are what published sources say, not measurements of the plant in your room. They say nothing about your pot size, your water, the season, or how far from the glass the plant stands, and those decide more than any figure here does.

Humidity has no species figure because no source read for this site publishes one, and the only temperature published for this plant is a cold floor. The simulator fills those gaps with general figures for its kind of plant, marked as general and listed on how we read sources. Where a toxicity row says the plant was not assessed, that is the absence of a finding and not a finding of safety.

If something is already wrong, the diagnosis tool asks about the soil, the window and the watering, which is where the answer usually is.