Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Growing Succulents - Euphorbia.
A few species come from the Americas, but many more come from Africa and Madagascar, and also some originate from India, the Canary Islands, the islands of Socotra and Sicily.
There are a few drawbacks and limitations as house plants that must be understood before attempting to grow Euphorbia in your home.
If a Euphorbia is damaged, the plant bleeds a white latex sap that is toxic and can, in some cases, cause blistering on the skin. It is important to handle any Euphorbia sap with care and perhaps waterproof gloves are recommendable. Whatever happens, never get any Euphorbia sap in the eyes, and remove from skin as soon as possible. These plants are best located out of reach of small children and pets. This is a group of plants that cats and dogs should never mistake for chew toys and surely some house pets end up in the emergency room every year from eating Euphorbia. Please only purchase and grow Euphorbia species if you have the ability to keep them out of reach from small children and pets.
Euphorbia sometimes have thorns, but some species of Euphorbia are basically smooth plants without any thorny projection. Euphorbia is the largest genus of succulents and these varieties grow in a very wide range of conditions. It is difficult to set a general care plan for all Euphorbia varieties, but the following may apply to most varieties which are available as house plants from cultivators.
As house plants they tend to grow in fair weather and rest when temperatures are too hot or too cool. It is very important to keep them dry when they are resting. As a general rule for this group the fatter and rounder the stems are, the less water they will tolerate when they are resting. If they are over stressed with water, they will be very vulnerable to fungal infestations which almost always cause death for these plants. It's very important to keep them mostly dry in the hot days of summer and the long cool resting period of winter.
