Euphorbia Horridia

Now there is some color contrasting going on this plant.............the flower bracts are amazing with the maroon and yellow colors against the chalky color of the plant. This is the first time this Horridia has bloomed for me. 

Euphorbia horrida is a perfect example of parallel evolution. 

There are no true cacti native to the old world but many 

South African succulents

 have evolved to resemble new world cacti.

I will call you Nova...........

EUPHORBIA HORRIDA
"NOVA"

Picked up this Euphorbia the other day, once again the color is amazing. Very pale, chalky, ghost-like, also named the African Milk Barrel. This one is in a 4" pot and I have another larger specimen that is about 6" tall. When I think of it I will take a picture and post in the blog. If you would like to read about the E. horrida, click on the name for an earlier posting.

Baby Pickle?

This little gem was a present from good friends. Some websites call it a Pickle Cactus.......that's one of the dumbest comments. The tag reads Euphorbia Horrida Hybrid. Love the colors of this plant, I think it will live happily at Death Valley Shack. The pot size is 2 1/2".

EUPHORBIA HORRIDA HYBRID
Euphorbia derives from Euphorbus,
Greek physician of king Juba II of Numidia

Hybrids of Euphorbia horrida are very common. The hybrids involves several different species (often resulted from accidental crosses) and are widely propagated for their quality. They are a very strong and easy to grow spiny succulent that looks a lot like an American cactus and will readily form large clumps. They are extremely variable due to their hybrid origin and have many varieties and forms. Many of the plants sold are actual hybrids. If you are looking to add any Euphorbias to your collection remember they are poisonous and need to be handled with care. It is a pretty easy plant to manage, grows well in a very good draining material and isn't picky about soil. The area of South Africa (lower Great Karoo) where the E. horrida plant is native from receives rains in both winter and summer, so it can be watered moderately all year around (except in the coldest month of the winter as it rot easily especially if over wet ) During the summer, they enjoy average feeding and watering.

Euphorbia resinifera

Resin Spurge

Collection plant is in a 6" pot.

Native to Morocco, where it grows on the slopes of the Atlas Mountains in the surroundings of Marrakesh. It is a dense succulent shrub growing to 25" tall, forming multi-stemmed cushion-shaped clumps up to 1" wide. Stems are erect, succulent, 4 sided (almost square) that look superficially like a cactus. Light green to glaucous blue color, depending upon light. Brown, short, sharp spines in pairs on the angles of the ribs, spaced about 1/2" apart up the stem. As with all Euphorbias when a plant gets damaged it exudes a thick white milky sap known as latex. This latex (resin) is poisonous and contains some of the most potent irritants known to man.

Euphorbia suzannae

Euphorbia suzannae
Suzanna's Spurge

Love this little plant, one of the most interesting Euphorbias in the Death Valley Shack collection. This one is very small, I think its planted in a 3 1/2" pot. Named after the wife of the discoverer Dr. Muir.

Euphorbias are a truly interesting plant. So many varieties and different growing conditions. There are over 2000 species of Euphorbias in the world. They range from annual weeds to trees. They all have latex and a unique flower structure. A significant percentage is succulent, but they are mostly originating from Africa and Madagascar, but there are also a few from the Americas. The Euphorbias are named after a Greek surgeon called Euphorbus. He was physician of Juba II who was the Romanised king of a North African kingdom, and is supposed to have used their milky latex as an ingredient for his potions.

Several Euphorbias are garden plants, the most popular being the Poinsettia and Diamond Frost an annual that is used in container planting.