Many types of milkweed are very popular with flower growers for their decorative properties and unpretentious care. The only significant drawback of the flower lies in its poisonous milky sap. Therefore, it is better to admire the beauty from the outside, and when transplanting and preparing cuttings for propagation, you need to use rubber gloves.
The oldest euphorbia family, whose homeland is considered to be the African continent, has several hundred species. They are found in the wild in Mexico and Central America. There are also 160 species on the territory of Russia, which are distributed from Central Asia to Transbaikalia. The unpretentious plant is widely used as a decorative home gardening and garden decoration. Species of milkweed are so varied in appearance that not everyone will guess about the relationship between cactus and liana. Depending on the habitat conditions, the spurge can be from 10 cm to 3 meters high.
What makes all types of euphorbia in common
Despite the external differences, all plants of the euphorbia family are united by one sign - white or transparent milky sap. However, dandelions should not be included in this group. Dandelion juice is completely safe for humans, but euphorbia in the composition of toxic substances takes 1st place among the representatives of the plant world. It contains alkaloids, saponins, glycosides, poisonous resins, toxins, bitter extractives. Milky sap is in all parts of the plant under some pressure, and as soon as a stem, twig or leaf is broken, it literally splashes out from there.
The danger is the juice that got not only inside, but also on the surface of the skin, since it burns. If it gets into the eyes, milky juice can deprive a person of vision for some time, and, once it gets into the oral cavity and further into the internal organs, it disrupts not only the function of digestion, but also causes clouding of consciousness. No wonder in ancient times milkweed juice was called demon milk. Even in ancient Egypt, euphorbia was actively used as a medicinal raw material for the treatment of headaches, stopping bleeding, skin diseases: fungal lesions, eczema, warts, lichen. But one had only to overdo it with the amount of the drug, as a person could fall into a rampage or, on the contrary, lose consciousness from a sharp drop in pressure.
Spurge in the apartment - decoration or danger?
There is another sign in all euphorbia - the shape of the inflorescence. The peculiar structure of the flower is usually bordered by spectacular covering leaves. At home, the euphorbia is triangular, similar to a candelabrum, the euphorbia is white-veined in the form of a palm tree, the most beautiful euphorbia, or "Poinsettia", which justifies its name, blooming in lush color on Christmas Eve, feels good. It is impossible to remain indifferent to such beauty, even for people who do not show a particular addiction to indoor floriculture. Involuntarily, the question arises - is it worth exposing yourself and the rest of the household to danger and planting a poisonous flower at home?
Experts say that there is nothing wrong with the maintenance of such a flower, because it does not cause any difficulties in care. The main thing is to buy a flower without damage and give it a sunny place in the apartment. You can accidentally break off euphorbia during a transplant, which is required once every 2-3 years, when the previous capacity becomes small. But this procedure must be carried out with rubber gloves. Special care should be taken if there are small children and animals in the house. Although the latter often sense a dangerous plant at a distance and simply do not approach it.
