Why Plants Die
Theme
Theme

Candelabra Cactus

Euphorbia lactea, Euphorbiaceae

Sources last read 14 September 2026.

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

Also called Dragon Bones, False Cactus, Milkstripe Euphorbia, Mottled Candlestick and Mottled Spurge.

Candelabra Cactus (Euphorbia lactea), the whole plant.
Forest and Kim Starr, CC BY 3.0 us · Wikimedia Commons

Candelabra Cactus 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. Toxic to people (low severity). NC State Extension

What the sources say about its care

Light
Full sun, Partial Shade
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Water
Good Drainage
NC State Extension · 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
Soil
Clay, Loam (Silt), Sand
NC State Extension · 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
Toxic to people (low severity)
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026

Routine care

Watering
Wet soil does not suit it, though the soil can dry out after each watering. In summer, water steadily so the soil does not dry out completely, and water less in winter.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Propagation
Stem cuttings
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026

Move something and watch

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

Close view of Candelabra Cactus (Euphorbia lactea) foliage.
Close upDinkum, CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
Candelabra Cactus (Euphorbia lactea) growing wild.
In the wildH. Zell, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

About the plant

Euphorbia lactea is a species of spurge native to arid and subtropical regions of South Asia, mainly the Indian Subcontinent. Common names include mottled spurge, frilled fan, elkhorn, candelabra spurge, candelabrum tree, candelabra cactus, candelabra plant, dragon bones, false cactus, hatrack cactus, milkstripe euphorbia, mottled candlestick.

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

Native range
Sri Lanka
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Sri Lanka
NC State Extension · 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
Shrub, Succulent, Tree; habit ascending, columnar, erect, multi-stemmed
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Size
Height 60–180 in; width 60–120 in
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Flowering
Flowers gold/yellow, insignificant
NC State Extension · 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.

Used as a medicine and a poison. Toxic if eaten.
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.