Goan
Excoecaria agallocha
Aquatic Plants Difficulty: Moderate
📖 About this plant
Excoecaria agallocha (milky mangrove or blinding tree or ‘Goan’ in Odia) is a medium mangrove tree of the Euphorbiaceae family. The tree produces a toxic milky latex that causes severe skin blistering and blindness on contact with eyes (hence ‘blinding tree’) — handle with extreme caution. Wood is used for charcoal and small construction after careful drying. Bark is used in traditional medicine (after detoxification). The tree is found in the Sundarbans and other Indian mangrove forests.
🧑🌾 Care requirements
☀️
Light
Full sun
💧
Water
Brackish mangrove water
💨
Humidity
High
🌡️
Temperature
20-35°C
🪴
Soil
Mangrove mud
🧪
Fertilizer
Not required
📋 Plant facts
- 🌍 Origin
- Indo-Pacific mangroves
- 📏 Max height
- 10-15 m
- 📐 Spread
- 4-6 m
- 🕰️ Bloom time
- Spring (small yellow-green flowers)
- 🎨 Bloom color
- Yellow-green
- 🍃 Foliage color
- Deciduous leathery dark green
- ⏳ Lifespan
- 30+ years
- 📈 Growth rate
- Moderate
- ☠️ Toxicity
- TOXIC — milky latex causes blindness on contact with eyes
- 🌱 Propagation
- Seeds
🛡️ Health & Safety
⚠️ Not pet safe
☠️ Toxic
TOXIC — milky latex causes blindness on contact with eyes
Common issues
- Habitat loss, top-dying from salinity changes, latex burns
💡 Care tips
- CAUTION — latex causes blindness. Plant away from high-traffic areas. Handle with gloves and eye protection.
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