Euphorbia milii | Crown of Thorns
€15,90
🌱 Morphology
It looks like a small fortress of thorns that decided to fill itself with flowers. Its branches are covered in spikes, but among them appear, again and again, delicate spots of color that can last for months. It is a plant of contrasts: rough in its stems and surprisingly cheerful in its blooming, as if nature had hidden a garden inside a suit of armor.
It is a highly branched succulent shrub with an upright or slightly arching habit, which can reach about 1–2 m in mature specimens. The stems are angular, grayish-green to brown, and are armed with pairs of rigid spikes approximately 1–3 cm long. The leaves are fleshy, green, and obovate, and are concentrated mainly on young shoots, potentially falling off during periods of stress or drought. The inflorescences develop on the branches, and the bracts surrounding the small cyathia can present very varied colors depending on the specimen and selection: red, pink, white, yellow, or orange. As is the case in the Euphorbia genus, when damaged it releases a white latex that can be irritating and toxic, so contact with eyes and mucous membranes must be avoided.
🌍 Distribution, habitat, and family
It is native to Madagascar, where it lives in dry environments and xerophytic scrublands, generally on well-drained terrain. It is currently widely cultivated in tropical, subtropical, and Mediterranean regions as an ornamental plant. It belongs to the Euphorbiaceae family.
❄️ Temperature — USDA Zone 9b–11b
It tolerates minimum temperatures of up to −4 ºC if it remains completely dry, is well-acclimated, and the exposure is brief. To maintain active growth and avoid damage, it is advisable to protect it from frost and, especially, from the combination of cold and humidity.
☀️ Lighting
During active growth, it needs intense lighting, with an approximate goal of 18–25 mol/m²/day of DLI PAR. It tolerates direct sun after progressive acclimation. High lighting promotes compact growth and abundant flowering; with low light, it may elongate its stems and reduce the production of floral structures.
💧 Growth cycle and watering
Winter rest.
During the active period, abundant watering is recommended, letting the substrate dry out completely before watering again. In winter, water intake should be notably reduced and the plant kept practically dry when temperatures are low. The substrate must drain rapidly to prevent moisture accumulation around the roots.
🌸 Flowering
Its small true flowers are gathered in cyathia, surrounded by colored structures that provide the spectacular floral effect. Depending on the plant, they can be red, pink, white, yellow, or orange. Under suitable conditions, it can produce new inflorescences during most of the year and, in Madrid, especially from spring to autumn.
🌿 Nutrition
During the active growth period, a specific fertilizer for succulents is recommended, with a high content of assimilable calcium, such as Desert CHOICE® Suculentas, applied once a month when watering.
This is an inimitable xerophyte grown in Madrid in a high-tech square pot with substrate activated by mycorrhizal fungi and biofungicides.
13x13 cm and 16x16 cm pots
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