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Spurge

Euphorbia

Also called Spurges

Spurge
Photo: Alvesgaspar, CC BY-SA 3.0

Euphorbia is a very large genus of herbs, shrubs and trees, including many succulents, grown widely as garden and houseplants. Growing needs vary a lot between species, but most need sun, sharp drainage and little water.

Family
Euphorbiaceae (Spurge family)
Light
Full sun, Bright indirect
Water
Water deeply then let the soil dry out fully between waterings; reduce water in winter.
Soil
Fast-draining mix such as cactus or gritty potting soil.
Temperature
18–30 °C for most species; protect below 10 °C.
How easy
Easy
Safety
Toxic: All parts contain a caustic, poisonous milky latex that irritates skin and eyes and can cause vomiting and mouth pain if swallowed.

About

Euphorbia is a large and diverse genus of flowering plants, commonly called spurge, in the family Euphorbiaceae.

Euphorbias all share the feature of having a poisonous, latex-like sap and unique floral structures. When viewed as a whole, the head of flowers looks like a single flower (a pseudanthium). It has a unique kind of pseudanthium, called a cyathium, where each flower in the head is reduced to its barest essential part needed for sexual reproduction. The individual flowers are either male or female, with the male flowers reduced to only the stamen, and the females to the pistil. These flowers have no sepals, petals, or other parts that are typical of flowers in other kinds of plants.

Other Euphorbia plants

Abd Al Kuri Euphorbia · Desert Candle · Greek Spiny Spurge · Euphorbia actinoclada · Miniature Saguaro · Pincushion Euphorbia · Euphorbia alcicornis · Euphorbia alfredii · Euphorbia ambarivatoensis · Euphorbia ambovombensis · African candelabra · Euphorbia ampliphylla

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Euphorbia by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

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