Euphorbia trigona ‘Mint cream’ | Variegated green cathedral
€15,90
🌱 Morphology
It resembles a botanical architecture carved in mint green, cream, and ivory. Its stems, upright and perfectly geometric, rise to form triangular-section columns, while the variegation traces irregular spots and bands along the ribs, making each specimen have a different pattern. It is as if the sculptural structure of Euphorbia trigona had been painted with much softer brushstrokes.
It is a variegated horticultural selection of Euphorbia trigona, with an erect habit that becomes highly branched over time. The stems are fleshy, robust, and triangular in cross-section, with three prominent ribs whose margins feature small tubercles and pairs of short thorns. During active growth, small elliptical leaves appear at the tips of the ribs, which are deciduous and quickly disappear. The distinctive characteristic of ‘Mint Cream’ is the stable variegation of the stems, with light green, mint green, cream, and ivory zones distributed irregularly. As with the rest of the species, the tissues contain irritating white latex.
🌍 Distribution, habitat, and family
It belongs to the Euphorbiaceae family. ‘Mint Cream’ does not exist as a natural population: it is a selection maintained exclusively in cultivation. Its parent species, Euphorbia trigona, originates from tropical Africa and grows in warm, seasonally dry environments on well-drained soil.
❄️ Temperature — USDA Zone 10b–11b
It tolerates minimum temperatures of down to 1 ºC for brief periods, provided the specimen is perfectly dry and acclimated. The variegation makes it advisable to take extra precautions against the cold and especially avoid the combination of low temperatures and humidity. Some cultivation references advise keeping it around 10 ºC or higher during the winter.
☀️ Lighting
During active growth, lighting of 18–25 mol/m²/day of DLI PAR is recommended. It needs plenty of light to maintain compact growth and good expression of the variegation, but the areas with less chlorophyll are more sensitive to sudden sun exposure. Direct sun should be introduced progressively.
💧 Growth cycle and watering
Winter rest. During the active growth period, it is recommended to water abundantly and allow the substrate to dry completely before the next watering. In winter, water intake should be significantly reduced, keeping the substrate almost dry. Fast drainage is especially important when temperatures are low.
🌸 Flowering
Flowering is rare in cultivation, especially in young specimens. When it occurs, small yellowish or greenish cyathia appear, which are inconspicuous, similar to those of the type species. The main ornamental interest of ‘Mint Cream’ lies in the architecture of the stems and its variegation, not in the flowering.
🌿 Nutrition
During the active growth period, a specific fertilizer for succulents with a high content of assimilable calcium, such as Desert CHOICE® Succulents, is recommended, applied once a month when watering.
This is an inimitable xerophyte grown in Madrid in a high-tech square pot, with the substrate activated with mycorrhizal fungi and biofungicides.
10x10 cm gourmet black pot
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