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

Reference · E. mauritanica

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 semisucculent subshrub from the arid Cape and Namibian scrub, this Euphorbia stores moisture in its stems and wants deep, infrequent watering in fast-draining, gritty mix. Let the soil dry out fully and water only when the top several centimetres are bone dry; it tolerates strong sun and resents sitting wet.

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.

No reference gallery yet

A few clear photos — habit, a mature leaf, a flower if it blooms — would give this page its eyes.

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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 — is exactly what keeps this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.