Euphorbia is a genus in the family Euphorbiaceae. Consisting of 2008 species, Euphorbia is the fourth largest genus of flowering plants. Succulent species originate mostly from Africa, the Americas and Madagascar. The common name “spurge” derives from the Middle English/Old French espurge (“to purge”), due to the use of the plant’s sap as a medicinal purgative. The plants are annual or perennial herbs, woody shrubs or trees. Smaller Euphorbias make excellent potted plants while larger species are valuable landscaping plants.

Euphorbia triangularis is a commonly known as Chandelier Tree, River Euphorbia or Tree Euphorbia in English and Driehoek-melkbos, Naboom, Noorsdoring or Rivier-naboom in Afrikaans is a South African indigenous species with a distribution range that reaches from the Eastern Cape, through KwaZulu-Natal and into Mpumalanga Province. Euphorbia triangularis can be 3, 4 or 5-angled. The 3-angled form occurs more often in the Eastern Cape and the 5-angled form in KwaZulu-Natal. It is a succulent, spiny tree, usually with a single trunk and several branches clustered in whorls and are the most common tree Euphorbia found in the Eastern Cape Province.