Euphorbia umbellata (syn. Synadenium grantii)

(African milk bush)

Description

This African shrub related to Euphorbia is a succulent and produces copious quantities of a milky sap which is a skin irritant. The alternate leaves are oblanceolate, dark green above with obvious lateral veins and paler below. Coloured purplish bracts protect the small flowers, borne is open heads. All parts of the plant are toxic but the sap is extremely irritating, caution required when pruning. This attractive shrub has now given way to development.