Bebuta, blind-your-eye mangrove

Description:

Mangrove swamps form a type of coastal wetland found in the tropics and subtropics. Within a mangrove forest, the most salt-tolerant species occur near the ocean. Excoecaria agallocha, known as a back mangrove, is found at higher elevations back away from the ocean where salinity is lower. This small tree species may grow up to 15 m high. Trees are either male or female. Male flowers form drooping tassels, while female flowers appear as shorter spikes. Pollinators such as bees commonly visit the flowers. The fruit is a small dark capsule.

Habitat:

Excoecaria agallocha, a mangrove species, belongs to the genus Excoecaria of the family Euphorbiaceae. It is common in mangrove swamps from Bangladesh, India in the northwest to Australia in the southeast, within Australia, it thrives from northern New South Wales along the northern coastline around to Western Australia. Given such a wide range, it is understandable that the species has many common names including: Thillai, milky mangrove, blind-your-eye mangrove and river poison tree. Most of the names refer to its poisonous or blinding nature.

Notes:

The milky latex of Excoecaria agallocha is very poisonous and powerfully irritant, which is not unusual in milky species of plant in the family Euphorbiaceae. Contact with skin causes irritation and rapid blistering; slight contact with eyes can cause temporary blindness, hence the common names that refer to blindness. Even the generic name is from the Latin for "blinder".