Plants and mushrooms

Candelabra cactus

Common name		Candelabra cactus
Botanical name		Euphorbia lactea
Other common names		-
Family		Euphorbiaceae
General description		A leafless, succulent shrub with angled stems and short, brown to black spines. The stems are usually dark green marbled with white or pale green. Grown as an ornamental.
Flowers		The flowers are yellow, and very small to insignificant.
Leaves		There are no leaves.
Fruit/Berries		The fruit are 3-lobed capsules, rare or absent in cultivation.
Other		The sap is copious, milky and corrosive. Stout sharp spines are present along the angled stems.
Symptoms		The sap causes skin rash and blisters, intense burning and, if splashed into the eye, temporary blindness. The stout, sharp spines can also cause mechanical injury.
Toxicity category		3
Warning		For all eye exposures by sap rinse the eye with water for 15 minutes. Then seek medical assistance.