Euphorbia Plant

Euphorbia. The Crown of Thorns, Originally from Madagascar, also commonly called Christ Crown, and Rosa (Corona) Espinas, is a member of the Euphorbiaceae (Spurge family). Its scientific name is Euphorbia millii (old name E. splendens). It is a succulent deciduous shrub with a slow to moderate growth rate. It grows to a height of 4-5 feet and spread of 2.5 feet, though dwarf hybrids are less than 1.5 feet tall. Typically, it has strong, upright and heavily branched spiny stems with 1 inch long straight thorns and obovate leaves that are medium to dark green of variable sizes. Plant may defoliate due to moisture or temperature stress, thus leaves are primarily found on new or extended growth.The sap of the plant is moderately poisonous.

Milii hybrids have been popular with growers for many years because of their hardiness and their ability to flower throughout the year. Flowers range in color from deep red to white to multicolor and in size from tiny, less than size of a BB, to ½ inch. However, in recent years an completely new range of hybrids has enter the market, bred in Thailand this range is far superior to the older hybrids as the flower size, quantity and colours has dramatically increased, flower sizes up to 7cm are now available. Milii flowers are not real flowers, they are modified leaves and small yellow flowers appear inside the leaf, these coloured leaves are long lasting and can last many weeks and new spikes are produced continuously whist the plant is in growth.

The old Euphorbia hybrids typically have eight flowers in each cluster, hence the name Poysean given to Euphorbia milii by the Chinese immigrants in Thailand, referring to the eight saints of Chinese mythology, each one representing a different force: health, bravery, riches, beauty, art, intelligence, poetry and the ability to overcome evil. Thus, Poysean is extremely popular in Thai homes as a symbol of good fortune! On the other hand, the common names of Crown of Thorns, Christ Crown/Thorn allude to the legend that the crown of thorns worn by Christ at the time of his crucifixion was made from stems of Euphorbia milii.

Euphorbia Planting & Care

The Euphorbia milii (crown of thorns) plant is often referred to as a Christ plant or the Christ-thorn. As different as they appear to one another, this plant is a cousin of the poinsettia. The plants stem and branches are covered with sharp spines that are between 1/4 to 1/2 inch in length. They can grow to a height of six feet and climb up a trellis easily.

The Euphorbia milii plant is a beautiful plant that will brighten up your home or landscape. It is easy to grow and will provide blooms that last a long time.

Light: Euphorbia milii requires at least five hours of direct sunlight and fresh air for better growth and flowering; plants grown in shade will flower poorly, become leggy, and are more susceptible to diseases.

Temperature: Euphorbia milii likes warm temperature; an ideal temperature for growing euphorbia milii is 24-32° C. Plants should be moved to warm place when the temperature reaches below 10° C

Soil: Euphorbia milii requires excellent drainage in any soil mix; if it is not provided, the roots rot, resulting in poor growth or death of the plant. The soil mix also must have moisture retention properties, along with adequate nutrients. Use a mixture of one part coarse sand, half part coco peat and half part worm compost or well rotted cow dung, which will hold some moisture but still drain nicely.

Water: Euphorbia milii require regular watering to maintain growth and flowers, soil should remain moist but not wet, water well and allow soil surface to dry between watering, as this is a succulent plant it can be left dry for months, flowering however will be effected.

Repotting: Repotting is best done every 1 to 2 years to maintain vigour otherwise growth will slow

Pruning: Since crown-of-thorns is not fast growing, pruning is usually not necessary until the second or third year of growth. Pruning is best done during cool, dry weather to lessen the risk of stem disease. With the species lightly prune, removing only dead and overly tangled stems. Perform a major pruning every 2-3 years in late spring. For the compact varieties, thin out at the base to permit adequate air circulation.

Fertilizer: We use organic fertilizer for our euphorbia milii and occasionally use chemical fertilizer for immediate availability of nutrition if found any kind of nutrition problems

Rain: Euphorbia milii can tolerate a moderate rain, though an extreme rain fall like our climate (Kerala) plant should be kept under plastic sheet or where they do not get direct rain. Drenching and spraying fungicide in monsoon will help to prevent stem rot and root rot.

Pests: There are few serious pests: scale insects and mealybugs, and occasionally spider mites and thrips.

Diseases: Milii are hardy and take very little care. The most serious can be prevented by avoiding situations where the soil or foliage remains wet. Remove yellowing leaves and dead foliage that becomes impaled on the spines. These promote disease development by trapping moisture. Diseases include bacterial and fungal leaf spots, fusarium and rhizoctonia stem and root rots and botrytis flower blight. In tropical and temperate climates they are almost indestructible, in cold climates damping off problems can occur in colder weather. Over winter plants should be allowed to almost dry out, a light watering every 2 to 3 weeks is sufficient leaves may fall off,