The open plant encyclopedia
Snap a photo or search by any name to see how to care for it, where it comes from, whether it's safe, and a 3D model you can turn.
The plants people record most in your country, and ones that grow there wild.
Filter by what you want to do, shape, origin, country, care and safety.
Euphorbia milii
Also called Christ plant, Crown of thorns, Christ's Plant, Christ's Thorn
In Singapore: Crown of Thorns, Christ Thorn, Christ Plant, Christ's Thorn (Grown in Singapore)
Christplant (Euphorbia milii) is a spiny, succulent shrub from Madagascar, grown mainly as a houseplant or outdoors in frost-free climates. It needs bright sun and very well-drained soil, and it is best kept on the dry side.
Euphorbia milii, the crown-of-thorns, Christ plant or Christ's thorn, is a species of flowering plant in the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to Madagascar. The epithet commemorates Baron Milius, once Governor of Réunion, who introduced the species to France in 1821.
The native Malagasy name for this plant, songosongo, has also been applied to several other Euphorbia species. It is thought that the species was introduced to the Middle East in ancient times; legend, which associates it with the crown-of-thorns worn by Jesus Christ upon his crucifixion, has likely influenced the common name "crown-of-thorns". It is commonly used as an ornamental houseplant but can be grown outside year-round in warmer, frost-free climates.
Euphorbia milii can be propagated from cuttings. E. milii is not hardy, and does not tolerate temperatures below 10 °C (50 °F). In temperate areas it needs to be grown under glass in full sun. During the summer it may be placed outside in a sheltered spot, when all risk of frost is absent. The species and the variety E. milii var. splendens have both gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
Wat Phrik in Thailand claims to be the home of the world's tallest Christ thorn plant.
The sap is moderately poisonous, and causes irritation on contact with skin or eyes. If ingested, it causes severe stomach pain, irritation of the throat and mouth, and vomiting. The poisonous ingredients have been identified as phorbol esters. It is very toxic to domesticated animals such as, horses, sheep, cats and dogs. For humans it is mildly toxic and only acts as an irritant.
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
[Contains information from Leaf Area Index (LAI) and Heritage Trees from data.gov.sg (National Parks Board), made available under the terms of the Singapore Open Data Licence version 1.0]
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Euphorbia milii 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.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
