(Scarlet-plume)

Scarlet plume is an upright deciduous subshrub with long weeping branches that become covered with blooms in winter. It is native to Mexico that exudes a milky sap from its stems and leaves that can be a mild skin irritant. Its winter display makes it best suited as a landscape plant for the far south, though it can also serve as a houseplant or conservatory specimen.

In winter, the colorful scarlet plume becomes covered with small blooms that appear along its long arching branches between...

(Cow's Horn)

Very long and formidable thorns is what distinguishes this large branching succulent shrub from the other nearly identical species. It is a native of the moist eastern coast of South Africa in the state of Natal, homeland of the Zulu. The plants can be found in the bush hill country where soils are rich and well drained. This great succulent produces multiple branching from the base, with some of the outer limbs forced along the ground where they are inclined to root. The central branches are more...

(Chandelier Euphorbia, Large-toothed Euphorbia)

Tall and gangley, this disorganized looking succulent tree is not as geometrically beautiful as some, but it compensates with a cast iron constitution. It is native to the eastern regions of South Africa where its range spans both states of Natal and drier inland Transvaal. Where moisture is more plentiful these plants can reach monumental proportions with large copses of them functioning much like its own forest ecosystem. They are found in both savanna and hill country wherever soils are sufficiently...

(African Milk Barrel)

Modern designers love the silver metallic sheen of this unusual, rock hard succulent, which is also a favorite of collectors. It is native to very steep rocky terrain in coastal South Africa where plants often nestle into boulders to tap moisture protected underground. What makes this plant so fabulous is its silvery coloring, which remains consistent year around. Its spherical form with many angled edges resembles a true cactus, bearing modest black or gray thorns the length of a thumbnail. The...

(Cactus Spurge, Candelabra Tree)

Named for its rounded crown of elaborately branched stems, candelabra tree is a bold, architectural plant for landscapes in arid, frost-free regions. This large, tree-sized succulent superficially resembles a cactus, but is not actually related. It is native to the warm, dry grasslands of southern Africa.

Candelabra tree bears needle-like barbs which are borne on vertical ridges that divide its thick, upright branches into four or five segments. Small, yellow-green flowers appear at the ends...

(Little Christmas Flower, Snow Flake, White Lace Euphorbia)

"Sweet like honey" describes the scent of the tiny flowers of the little Christmas flower in late fall and early winter. A frost-tender evergreen shrub native to Mexico and Central America, it looks like an oval snowball when in bloom. As with other members of the spurge family, a milky sap exudes from broken leaves or stems.

The leaves are narrow ovals and are medium green with a hint of blue-green. A leaf underside is lighter green. In late fall the branch tips bear many tiny fragrant flowers...

(Crown-of-Thorns)

This thorny plant has some of the showiest flowers of all the Euphorbias. A native of Madagascar, crown-of-thorns is a tropical, succulent shrub that stays evergreen year-round where hardy. From spring to late summer it produces many flowers with two showy bracts that are most typically scarlet red. Cultivars with orange, pink, white or creamy yellow bracts are also available.

Highly drought tolerant, this tough tropical requires full sun and can tolerate average to poor soil with good drainage....

(Crown-of-Thorns)

This thorny plant has some of the showiest flowers of all the Euphorbias. A native of Madagascar, crown-of-thorns is a tropical, succulent shrub that stays evergreen year-round where hardy. From spring to late summer it produces many flowers with two showy bracts that are most typically scarlet red. Cultivars with orange, pink, white or creamy yellow bracts are also available.

Highly drought tolerant, this tough tropical requires full sun and can tolerate average to poor soil with good drainage....

(Crown-of-Thorns, Short and Sweet Crown-of-Thorns)

Selected for its dwarf size and free-flowering habit, ‘Short and Sweet’ delivers an almost continual display of showy, bright red flowers. This patented cultivar originated from seedlings of Euphorbia milii ‘Tricolor’. The species is a thorny, succulent, semi-evergreen shrub native to Madagascar, commonly known as crown of thorns.

‘Short and Sweet’ forms a compact, rounded dome of thick, glossy, spoon-shaped leaves borne on branched, thorny stems. Its brilliant blooms are displayed...

(Crown-of-Thorns)

This thorny plant has some of the showiest flowers of all the Euphorbias. A native of Madagascar, crown-of-thorns is a tropical, succulent shrub that stays evergreen year-round where hardy. From spring to late summer it produces many flowers with two showy bracts that are most typically scarlet red. Cultivars with orange, pink, white or creamy yellow bracts are also available.

Highly drought tolerant, this tough tropical requires full sun and can tolerate average to poor soil with good drainage....