Plants and mushrooms

Milky mangrove

Common name		Milky mangrove
Botanical name		Excoecaria agallocha
Other common names		River poison tree, Blind-your-eye
Family		Euphorbiaceae
General description		A small tree up to 5m tall, found in mangrove communities, along tidal streams, or on the margins of tidal salt meadows. It grows mainly in the tropics and subtropics.
Flowers		Flowers are small and occur in sprays or racemes up to 3cm long in the axils or forks of the leaves.
Leaves		The leaves are alternate, shiny bright green, fleshy, 4-10cm long and 2-5cm wide, with a smooth or bluntly toothed margin.
Fruit/Berries		The fruit are capsules 6-8mm wide, usually with three cells, each containing a seed. The capsule cells explode apart when mature.
Other		The sap is milky.
Symptoms		The copious milky sap can cause intense pain and blistering if it makes contact with the skin. It can also cause intense pain and temporary blindness if it gets into the eyes.
Toxicity category		2, 3
Warning		For all eye exposures to sap, rinse the eye with water for 15 minutes and then seek urgent medical assistance.