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African Milkbush

Euphorbia tirucalli, Euphorbiaceae

Sources last read 14 September 2026.

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

Also called Aveloz, Finger Tree, Indian Tree Spurge, Indiantree spurge, Milkbush, Pencil Cactus, Pencil Tree, Petroleum Plant and Rubber Euphorbia.

African Milkbush (Euphorbia tirucalli), the whole plant.
Ranjith-chemmad, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

African Milkbush is toxic

  • Toxic to cats. Toxic principle: Irritant Sap (latex). Clinical signs: Irritating to the mouth and stomach, sometimes causing vomiting, but generally over-rated in toxicity. ASPCA
  • Toxic to dogs. Toxic principle: Irritant Sap (latex). Clinical signs: Irritating to the mouth and stomach, sometimes causing vomiting, but generally over-rated in toxicity. ASPCA
  • 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, Occasionally Wet
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, Shallow Rocky; pH Acid (<6.0), Neutral (6.0-8.0)
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Toxic to cats
Toxic
ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
Toxic to dogs
Toxic
ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
Harmful to people
Toxic to people (low severity)
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026

Routine care

Watering
Water roughly every 1 to 2 weeks, letting the soil dry between waterings.
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Propagation
Seed, 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 African Milkbush (Euphorbia tirucalli) foliage.
Close upAgnieszka Kwiecień, Nova, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
African Milkbush (Euphorbia tirucalli) growing wild.
In the wildFarenj, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

About the plant

Euphorbia tirucalli is a tree native to Africa that grows in semi-arid tropical climates. A hydrocarbon plant, it produces a poisonous latex that can cause temporary blindness.

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

Native range
Madagascar
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Madagascar
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Climate
desert or dry shrubland
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Growth form
semisucculent shrub or tree
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Shrub, Succulent, Tree; habit dense, erect
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Size
Height 24–360 in; width 12–120 in
NC State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Flowering
Flowers gold/yellow; blooms in spring, summer
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.

Widely used medicinally for earaches, asthma, constipation and wounds. The sap is toxic.
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.