Euphorbia fruticosa f. inermis | Spineless Devil's Spine
€7,95
🌱 Morphology
It resembles a small colony of columns sculpted in bluish-green wax, perfectly aligned side by side to form a botanical sculpture of almost architectural geometry. Here, the Euphorbia seems to have surrendered much of its armor: where the typical form of Euphorbia fruticosa shows numerous spines, this form reduces them to leave clean, smooth ribs that allow for a much better view of the structure of each stem.
It is a succulent form, highly branched from the base and with a caespitose growth habit. The stems are fleshy, cylindrical, erect or slightly arched, bluish-green to grayish-green in color, and can reach approximately 50–70 cm in height and up to about 9 cm in diameter. They usually present 10–13 vertical or slightly twisted ribs, with small tubercles aligned along their crests. In the f. inermis form, the spines characteristic of the species are greatly reduced or practically absent. The leaves are tiny and ephemeral. It produces white latex.
🌍 Distribution, habitat and family
The inermis form belongs to Euphorbia fruticosa, a species native to southwestern Arabia, mainly Yemen and Saudi Arabia. It grows on rocky slopes, rock crevices, and open scrublands in arid regions, where drainage is very rapid. It belongs to the Euphorbiaceae family. The inermis form is a horticultural selection characterized by the reduction of its spines.
❄️ Temperature — USDA Zone 9b–11b
It tolerates minimum temperatures down to −4 ºC according to cultivation references that place it in USDA 9b, always in dry conditions, with well-acclimated specimens and during brief episodes. However, other cultivation sources are much more conservative and recommend avoiding temperatures near 0 ºC. In winter, it must be kept completely dry and protected from prolonged frosts.
☀️ Lighting
During active growth, intense lighting is recommended, approximately 18–25 mol/m²/day of DLI PAR. It tolerates direct sun after progressive acclimatization. High lighting promotes compact stem growth and maintains its characteristic bluish-green hue.
💧 Growth cycle and watering
Winter dormancy. During the active period, it is recommended to water abundantly and allow the substrate to dry completely before watering again. From autumn to spring, it can produce its characteristic cyathia, but watering must always be adapted to the temperature and the drying speed of the substrate. During winter, water supply is considerably reduced and kept practically dry when temperatures are low.
🌸 Flowering
It produces numerous bright yellow cyathia, arranged along the crests of the ribs, especially towards the ends of the stems. The inflorescences are grouped in small umbels and can appear mainly from autumn to spring. In cultivation in Madrid, flowering can extend throughout the milder winter months.
🌿 Nutrition
During the active growth period, a specific fertilizer for succulents is recommended, with high content of assimilable calcium, such as Desert CHOICE® Succulents, applied once a month when watering.
This is an inimitable xerophyte grown in Madrid in a technological square pot and with the substrate activated with mycorrhizal fungi
9x9 cm pot
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