As the holiday time of year approaches , I ’m finding that , more than ever before , I ’d like to keep off shopping and or else give homemade present . Lacking any and all skills needed for craft , I ’m looking at ways to give plants , and in particular , plants I can circulate myself . My primary candidate is one you may already have : crown of thorns , which can pronto be spread with root word cutting , though you must proceed carefully due to its thorns and because the sap can annoy the skin and eyes .
By the way , you may have other prospect for cuttings among your houseplant ; one that comes to head is Streptocarpella , which is easy to propagate using stem newspaper clipping ; read more about it inThe Garden Shed , Streptocarpella , Mar. 2020 . If you ’re a newbie in the industrial plant extension section , you ’ll find expert guidance in another recent article , Creating New Plants from Cuttings , Oct.2020 .
But back to the summit of thorns , Euphorbia milii , also known by other common names , including Christ Thorn and Christ Plant . It seems to have more than one scientific name as well ; it is sometimes referred to asEuphorbia splendensorEuphorbia miliivar . splendens . It is a extremity of the large Euphorbiaceae ( spurge ) family , reportedly named for Euphorbus , an ancient Grecian physician who is enjoin to have used the sap medicinally ; be mindful , however , that the sticky , blank sap is poisonous . Legend has it that the barbellate stems were used to make the tip of thorns worn by Jesus at his crucifixion . This plant is a shrub or suffrutex , and is a aborigine of Madagascar , where it has a sprawling habit and develop as tall as 5 - 6 foot . In mild climate , it is grown outdoors and is a vulgar landscape painting plant in southerly Florida . The fact that its sap is toxic may yet work out to be a good thing ; inquiry shows it has promise as an anti - snail toxin against the snails that are the intermediate host for the parasite ( Schistosoma trematoides ) that causes human schistosomiasis , a disease that is prevalent in tropical and subtropical land .
If you do n’t already have a crown of thorns , I extremely recommend acquiring one — preferably via a contact - loose parking band leverage . If you ’re not conversant with this wonderment of a plant , you ’re in for a pleasant surprisal . Yes , it does have astute thorns , but few houseplants are as rewarding . For starter , it blooms almost all the time . I have the red-faced - bloom type , and there ’s nothing quite as uplifting as its profusion of blooms in mid - wintertime . And it continues blossom all summertime when I move it out on the deck , where it has at times attracted hummingbirds . A word of cautiousness about the thorns : be sure to locate it where it is out of the way of dogs , children , and other unsuspecting passersby .
Technically , the flower are bracts that besiege the actual flowers , which are tiny and dark-green . And if you need to get even more technical , the “ heyday ” consist of a special structure ring acyathium — which is fundamentally bracts joined together to form a cup . The cup moderate a exclusive female flower with 3 styles surrounded by five groups of manlike efflorescence , each of which has one anther and five nectar glands . Two of those nectar secreter have petal - like appendages — and those are what seem to be the “ blossom ” to most of us .
This is not a works that ’s grown for its foliage . That ’s because , as the stems mature , they tend to drop their succulent leaves . But the burred stems themselves are intriguing , though it is not a cactus . According to some expert , it usually grows to only 2 feet as a houseplant . But give it time , and it may exceed that . My first crest of thorns — which I call my “ Mother Plant ” — was purchase in the 1990 ’s and is now three feet improbable .
Pruning and Propagating
A crown of thorns can use regular pruning to keep it less leggy and gangly . I did n’t know this in the former eld , so my Mother Plant has a raging , disorderly search that might not appeal to all . today , I do occasional pruning , and I ’ve discovered how easy it is to combine that chore with propagating more plants . After my first maraud into pruning , I decided to see what would happen if I planted the pruned - off radical . I plonk those stems into a new pot and watered . Voila ! I soon had new plants after every pruning . Luck was clear on my side since this is NOT the text edition way of propagate a crown of thorns . Here ’s the correct way to proceed :
“ Remove 3 - 6″ terminal sections and dip the deletion end in dusty water or powdered horticultural charcoal grey to forbid the milky cosh from running excessively . Allow the cuttings to dry for 2 - 3 days before set in well - enfeeble planting premix ( such as sharp sand , perlite and peat ) to root . Keep the metier just barely moist – if too dry the newspaper clipping will not root but if too fuddled they may rot . They should root in 5 - 8 weeks when temperature are warm . “
— Crown of Thorns , Euphorbia milii , Univ . Wisconsin Extension
Be sure to wear gloves — and perhaps eye trade protection – when you ’re pruning diadem of thorns .
change and Hybrids
There does not seem to be complete agreement on the scientific name for crown of thorns . Euphorbia milii — the mintage — is typically used , but you will also see it refered to asEuphorbia miliivar.splendens , a very coarse variety of crown of spikelet ; I suspect this may very well be the plant I have . In addition to the crimson - bloom types , you may have get wind the creamy sensationalistic - floweredEuphorbia miliivar . Tananarivae , which is sometimes sold asE. miliivar . lutea . In any event , the variety and colors available are extensive , thanks to the study of plant breeders .
The California hybridsare sometimes called the “ giant jacket crown of spikelet , ” — believably due to their large flowers and stems . These include:–‘Rosalie’,–‘Vulcanus ’ , and–‘Saturnus ’
The Thai hybridsoriginated during the 1990 ’s in Thailand , and many featured large flowers and a more just use than the species . But most of these cross have been lost . Today there are only a few raiser near Bangkok that export these plants , and they have not been introduced to the baby’s room trade in either the US or Europe . Nevertheless , the Thai loanblend are democratic as aggregator plants , and are available from specialty nurseries . Among these are :
– ‘ Jingle Bells ’ ( pale pink bract tinged with red and green);–‘New Year ’ ( soft scandalmongering bracts that alter to Bolshevik as they senesce ) ; — ‘ pinkish Christmas ’ ( creamy bracts that acquire wan pinkish and cherry-red streak ) ; and–’Spring Song ’ ( creamy icteric bracts )
The Thai crossbreed pictured at right is quite the eye - backstop . By the agency , this photograph led me to the John R. Rodman Arboretum at Pitzer College , California ; I highly recommend taking a look , peculiarly if you ’re interested in arid landscape gardening . John R. Rodman Arboretum / Pitzer College .
The German hybridstend to have thicker leaves and thin stems , with flower colors of pink , scarlet , and pick . These include ‘ Somona ’ ( yes , that ’s how it ’s spell ) and ‘ Gabriella ’ .
The Dwarf hybridstend to be tolerant of both over- and under - tearing and perform well in small containers , include : Short and fresh ™ and ‘ Mini - Bell ’ .
How to Grow
tip of spikelet is tough and gentle - to - grow , so long as it has well - drained dirt and pile of visible radiation . It is drought tolerant and has no trouble with the dry indoor air of winter . position it in a south- or Dame Rebecca West - face window .
retrieve that leaf drop is normal . Here ’s a scrap of deception that is practiced by some nurseryman to encourage retention of leaves on peak of thorns : pee it a second more than strictly necessary and fertilize it on occasion ( but not with a formula containing tally micro - nutrients because it ’s boron - sensible ) . If you essay this magic , be indisputable to watch out for root hogwash , and thin off any browned staunch to hold the spread of rot . I have n’t tried this myself ; if you do , please let me cognise how it works for you .
The favorable characteristics of this plant make for a long listing . And it will be as well-chosen outside in the summer as it is indoors . You may even see hummingbirds checking it out . Now that ’s what I call an ideal gift .
source :
Featured Photo : crown of thorns ( Euphorbia milii ) . Photo : Mokkie , CC BY - SA 3.0 via Wikimedia
Euphorbia milii var . splendens / Dr. Leonard Perry ’s Perennial Pages / Univ . of VT
Euphorbia milii , Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder
Euphorbia milii Flora & Fauna Web/ Singapore Govt .
flora of the Week / Mich. St. Univ . Beal Botanical Garden
Henry Shaw Cactus & Succulent Society
https://worldofsucculents.com/euphorbia-milii-crown-of-thorns-christ-plant-siamese-lucky-plant/
