Damara milk bush

The Damara milk-bush (Euphorbia damarana) has slender, grey succulent stems. It can grow to 2.5m in height, large for such a shrub and the presence of toxic, milky latex make it one of the more impenetrable plants of the northern Namib Desert. At the tips of its branches are yellow-brown capsules which appear during the fruiting season. Male and female flowers are produced in separate plants, so not all plants bear fruit.

This plant is listed under Cites 2. It grows in abundance where it occurs, usually in rocky habitats, found on rocky slopes, river beds and plains. It is an endemic but is restricted to the northern Namib. Although it is a toxic shrub, a number of game species, notably gemsbok and black rhino feed on this plant. There are some 80 species recorded in Namibia and the fibres of the Damara milk-bush are investigated by for use in the textile industry.