Family: Euphorbiaceae
Euphorbia sudanica (sudanica milk bush) is a spiny succulent shrub native from Senegal to Niger. It grows on arid or rocky soils and is locally common, and often gregarious, on Sudanese savannahs. In its native range, it is often planted along avenues and as boundary markers, and its highly caustic latex is used as a repellent for the treatment of peanuts to prevent them from being eaten by monkeys and birds. There are no documented reports of naturalization or invasiveness outside its native range, but this may be due to limited cultivation elsewhere in the world. Caution should be exercised if growing this plant due to the caustic and toxic latex that could poison animals and humans, and to the paired thorns covering the stems.
High Risk Traits:
- Grows and could potentially spread in regions with arid, tropical climates
- Other Euphorbia species are invasive or high-risk weeds
- Stems covered in 5-10 mm long paired thorns
- Presumably unpalatable to animals due to latex and thorns
- Latex caustic and toxic to animals and people
- Reproduces by seed
- Seeds dispersed by ballistic dehiscence and through intentional cultivation
- Gaps in biological and ecological information may reduce accuracy of the risk prediction
Low Risk Traits:
- No reports of invasive or negative impacts where cultivated (but limited evidence of cultivation outside native range)
- Grows best in high light environments (dense shade may inhibit spread)
