Euphorbia ammak 'Variegata' | Variegated Arabian Candelabra
€47,70
🌱 Morphology
It resembles a candelabra sculpted in green, cream, and yellow marble, as if a great vegetable column had been hand-painted before beginning to branch out. Its blue-green stems are crossed by deeply wavy ribs, and the variegation draws irregular spots and bands on them, making each specimen have a different pattern. It is a monumental-looking plant even when it is still young.
It is a succulent shrub or small tree, highly branched with age, with generally tetrangular and thick stems, with markedly wavy ribs and margins provided with small tubercles. Pairs of short and robust thorns appear on them, associated with small triangular shields. The leaves are rudimentary and deciduous, appearing mainly at the growth ends. As in other Euphorbia, it produces irritating white latex.
The variegation is due to the presence of tissues with different capacity to produce chlorophyll, which is why green areas combined with cream, white, or yellowish areas appear. Highly variegated specimens usually grow more slowly.
A feature especially useful for differentiating it from Euphorbia ingens is precisely the shape of the ribs: in E. ammak they are clearly wavy, while in E. ingens they are usually straighter. There are also differences in the shields where the thorns are born and in the adult architecture of the plant. For this reason, many specimens marketed as E. ingens ‘Variegata’ or E. ingens ‘Marmorata’ actually correspond to E. ammak ‘Variegata’.
🌍 Distribution, habitat, and family
Euphorbia ammak is native to western Saudi Arabia and northern Yemen, where it grows in desert areas and dry scrublands. It belongs to the Euphorbiaceae family.
❄️ Temperature — USDA Zone 10a–11b
It tolerates minimum temperatures of up to −1 ºC for short periods, provided the plant is dry, acclimatized, and protected from prolonged frost. It is especially sensitive to the combination of cold and humidity.
☀️ Lighting
During active growth, it needs very high lighting, with an approximate target of 18–25 mol/m²/day of DLI PAR. It tolerates and appreciates direct sun after progressive acclimatization. In highly variegated specimens, it is advisable to avoid sudden changes toward intense sun, as tissues with little chlorophyll are more sensitive to burns.
💧 Growth cycle and irrigation
Winter rest. During the active period, it is recommended to water abundantly and let the substrate dry completely before watering again. In winter, watering is significantly reduced, keeping the substrate practically dry during cold periods.
🌸 Flowering
It produces small, yellowish or yellow-greenish cyathia, which are not very striking compared to the spectacular nature of the stems. In Mediterranean cultivation, flowering can be concentrated during the spring.
🌿 Nutrition
During the active growth period, a specific fertilizer for succulents with high content of assimilable calcium, such as Desert CHOICE® Suculentas, is recommended, applied once a month when watering.
This is an inimitable xerophyte grown in Madrid in a high-tech square pot and with the substrate activated with mycorrhizal fungi and biofungicides.
📏 Gourmet xerophyte in a 19x19x16 cm pot.
* As this is an online purchase, the appearance of the sent specimen may vary slightly from the product image. The measurements of the plant are specified in the photo description, but this may also vary slightly because, it is a living being! Each of the Desert CITY plants has unique characteristics.
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