Species · genus Euphorbia · Euphorbiaceae

Jackal's-food

Euphorbia mauritanica L.

Also known as: Yellow Milkbush

Growth habit

semisucculent subshrub or shrub

Native range

Cape Provinces, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal, Namibia

Euphorbia mauritanica — reference photo — no rights reserved · CC0

Cultivars of E. mauritanica

The named forms growers keep — each with its own page, each honest about how much we know.

No named cultivars catalogued under E. mauritanica yet. When growers document a stable, named form, it earns its own page here.

Guide

The species-level account. Cultivar pages build on this and say where they differ.

A South African Spurge

Euphorbia mauritanica, known as pencil milk bush, is a semisucculent subshrub or shrub in the Euphorbiaceae family. Other common names for it include jackal's food, melkbos, and yellow milk bush.

Source: Kew

Native to Southern Africa

This species is native to a stretch of southern Africa running from Namibia through the Cape Provinces and Free State to KwaZulu-Natal, where it grows chiefly in subtropical settings. It has also been introduced into India. Locally it has long been put to use as a poison and a medicine, alongside various environmental uses.

Source: Kew

Care recipe

The species record — the baseline every cultivar inherits unless it says otherwise.

Care notes are early — not yet verified

Light: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Water: ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 14-28d)
Humidity: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Soil: ai:claude-fable-5
Care: ai:claude-fable-5

Light

Direct sun

Water

≈ every 28 days

Humidity

Low — average room

Temperature

10–29 °C

Soil mix

Gritty, fast-draining cactus and succulent mix

Propagation

Stem cuttings, callused before potting

Fertilizing

Minimal; a light succulent feed once in spring

Growth rate

Moderate

Flowering

Yellow flower clusters at the stem tips in spring

ToxicityAuthoritative · species

Toxic to cats & dogs & humans

Euphorbiaceae produce an irritant milky latex that can harm skin, eyes, and mucous membranes if ingested. This is where toxicity lives: every cultivar of this species inherits it and none can override it.

Reference images

Every image credited. Licenses link to their deeds.

Sources: ai:claude-opus-4-8 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 14-28d) · ai:claude-fable-5 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (family inference)

Kept true by its growers

Every fact here carries its source. Grow Jackal's-food yourself? What you’ve observed — how it drinks, how it holds its color, a name that’s off — and a clear photo of your plant are exactly what keep this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.