| Euphorbia tirucalli | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Mature tree in Mozambique | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Malpighiales |
| Family: | Euphorbiaceae |
| Genus: | Euphorbia |
| Species: | E. tirucalli |
| Binomial name | |
| Euphorbia tirucalli | |
Euphorbia tirucalli (commonly known asIndian tree spurge,naked lady,pencil tree,pencil cactus,fire stick,aveloz ormilk bush[3]) is a tree native to Africa that grows insemi-aridtropicalclimates. Ahydrocarbon plant, it produces a poisonouslatex that can cause temporaryblindness.[4]
The pencil tree is a shrub or small tree with pencil-thick, green, smooth,succulent branches that reaches heights of up to 7 metres (23 ft). It has a cylindrical and fleshy stem with fragile succulent twigs that are 7 millimetres (0.28 in) thick, often produced in whorls, finely striated longitudinally. The oval leaves are 1 to 2.5 centimetres (0.39 to 0.98 in) long and about 3 to 4 millimetres (0.12 to 0.16 in) wide; they usually fall off early. It contains a milky, toxic and corrosivesap. The yellow flowers are at the ends of the branches.[5]
It has a wide distribution in Africa in black clay soils, being prominently present in northeastern, central andsouthern Africa. It may also be native in other parts of the continent as well as some surrounding islands and theArabian Peninsula and has been introduced to many other tropical regions, such as Brazil, India, Vietnam, the Philippines and Ghana. It grows in dry areas, especially thesavanna, and is often used to feed cattle or as hedging.[1] It is well known in Sri Lanka where it is calledkaḷḷi (கள்ளி) in Tamil, as mentioned in theAkanaṉūṟu by theSri Lankan Tamil poetEelattu Poothanthevanar, and in Sinhalese asweradi nawahandi (වැරදි නවහන්දි) orgas nawahandi (ගස් නවහන්දි).[6]
The milkylatex fromE. tirucalli is extremely irritating to the skin and mucosa and is toxic.[7] Exposure to it can cause temporary blindness. Skin contact causes severe irritation, redness and a burning sensation. If ingested, it can cause burns to the mouth, lips and tongue. It is suggested to weareye protection gear and gloves for handling the plant.
Euphorbia tirucalli is used asalternative medicine in many cultures. Attempts have been made to use it to treat cancer, excrescence, tumors, warts,asthma, cough, earache,neuralgia,rheumatism, and toothaches in countries includingBrazil,India,Indonesia, andMalaysia.[8][9]
Euphorbia tirucalli has been promoted as an anticancer agent, but research shows that it suppresses the immune system, promotes tumor growth, and leads to the development of certain types of cancer.[7]Euphorbia tirucalli has also been associated withBurkitt's lymphoma and is thought to be acofactor of the disease rather than a treatment.[10]
Its latex can also be used asfuel. This ledchemistMelvin Calvin to propose the exploitation ofE. tirucalli for producing oil. This usage is particularly appealing because of the ability ofE. tirucalli to grow on land that is not suitable for most other crops. Calvin estimated that 10 to 50 barrels of oil per acre was achievable. In the 1980s the Brazilian nationalpetroleum companyPetrobras began experiments based on these ideas.[citation needed] It has also been used in the production of rubber, but neither have been very successful.[1]
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