Plants and mushrooms

Naked lady

Common name		Naked lady
Botanical name		Euphorbia tirucalli
Other common names		Pencil tree, Malabar tree
Family		Euphorbiaceae
General description		A hardy, leafless ornamental shrub with smooth, dull green branches, cultivated as a pot plant or in the garden as a small tree.
Flowers		The flowers are small, yellow and inconspicuous.
Leaves		The leaves are small, narrow, dull green and soon fall off.
Fruit/Berries		The fruit are 3-lobed capsules, usually not seen.
Other		The sap is milky.
Symptoms		The milky sap is corrosive. Skin contact can cause intense burning and blisters. If splashed directly into the eye or transferred from fingers, symptoms can include an immediate burning, tearing, sensitivity to light, red, swollen eyelids, bleeding, and blurred vision. Symptoms may worsen over the next 12 hours, and result in temporary blindness lasting for several days. If the sap is ingested, symptoms can include burning of the lips, tongue and mouth, salivation and vomiting. Deaths have been recorded from ingestion of the sap.
Toxicity category		1, 3
Warning		For all eye exposures rinse the eye with water for 15 minutes and then seek medical attention. For all ingestions seek medical attention.