Euphorbia ingens
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Euphorbia ingens | |
|---|---|
,_crop.jpg) | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Malpighiales |
| Family: | Euphorbiaceae |
| Genus: | Euphorbia |
| Species: | E. ingens |
| Binomial name | |
| Euphorbia ingens | |
| Synonyms[2][3] | |
|
Euphorbia bilocularis N.E.Br. | |
Euphorbia ingens is a species of flowering plant in the family Euphorbiaceae.[2] It is native to dry areas of southern Africa. It is popularly known as the candelabra tree or naboom. Its milky latex can be extremely poisonous and is a dangerous irritant.[4]
This tall succulent tree with green round-like branches resembling a balloon is 6–8 meters tall. Its trunk is thick. Candelabrum stems have 5 ridges each and are 3.5–7.5 centimeters thick. Segmented sprouts are dark-green. Young sprouts have paired spines 0.5–2 millimeters long, often reflected. Small greenish yellow flowers sit on the ridges of the topmost segment. The plant blooms from autumn to winter. A red, round, three-lobed capsule fruit turns purple when ripe. It is found in the savanna in a tropical grasslands biome.
Habitat
The plant occurs in Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Botswana, Tanzania, South Africa (in the north and east of the country), Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya and Eswatini.
It grows on dry lands and semi-savannas. It prefers warm regions as it can survive long droughts. It usually roots on rocky outcrops or deep in sand among the bush.
Ecology
The plant's flowers are attractive for butterflies, bees and other insects, which pollinate them when gathering pollen and nectar.
Seeds are edible for birds, who also like to make their nests in the branches of these trees. Woodpeckers in particular often use withered segments for this purpose.
