(Finger Plant, Indian Tree Spurge, Pencil Plant)

The pencil tree is well known around the world where it was grown a half century ago as a wartime experiment for rubber production. While these early plantations failed commercial viability, the plants remained behind to naturalize in other dry regions of the globe. Even in Africa its point of origin, probably coastal Mozambique, is cloudy. The value of pencil trees as living livestock enclosures led native peoples to spread the plants throughout much of arid south and east Africa.

Pencil tree...

(Finger Plant, Indian Tree Spurge, Pencil Plant, Sticks-on-Fire Spurge)

This brilliantly colored succulent is beloved by modern landscape designers who use its fiery color for accent and focal point. 'Sticks-on-Fire' develops its best hues during short days of winter provided it is grown in full sun. The origin of its green parent species is probably coastal Mozambique, with this strongly tinted variety is a contemporary selection. This coloration reduces chlorophyll, which stunts these plants to less than a third of its parent.

'Sticks-on-fire", commonly called...

(Gifboom, Poisoned Tree)

Wickedly barbed and packed with caustic sap, this uncommon species may be the most ferocious Euphorbia of all. It hails from the heart of southern Africa, inhabiting an enormous desert range from the Orange River to deep in southern Angola. Well known by Bushmen tribes, the white latex sap of the plant is used to poison the tips of their tiny arrows. The plant produces a single many-ribbed gray green stem that branches into short arms. In the wild it can also become a clump of basal branches...

(Giant Hybrid Crown-of-Thorns, Thai Crown-of-Thorns)

Large flowers, compact habit and wicked thorns describe this hybrid crown-of-thorns. It is a cross between crown-of-thorns Euphorbia milii and white crown of thorns Euphorbia lophogona both from Madagascar and usually marketed as Supergrandiflora hybrids. The branches are gray to brown, covered with conical thorns and tipped with oblong, evergreen leaves. The flowers are grouped on long stalks at the ends of the branches and have two very showy bracts or modified leaves. The flower...

(Martin's Spurge)

Martin’s Spurge is a hybrid between the European native Euphorbia amygdaloides and the Mediterranean Euphorbia characias. It is a tender, evergreen, spurge with a clumping, upright habit and lance-shaped leaves with the pointed ends attached to the plant. The leaves are green often with red, pink or purple undertones as are the plant stems. Late winter through summer flowers appear well above the foliage in dense spikes and have circular apple to lime green bracts (modified leaves)...

(Apertif Spurge, Martin's Spurge)

Martin’s Spurge is a hybrid between the European native Euphorbia amygdaloides and the Mediterranean Euphorbia characias. The cultivar Aperitif is a dwarf selection and is a tender, evergreen, spurge with a clumping, upright habit and lance-shaped leaves with the pointed ends attached to the plant. The leaves are green often with red, pink or purple undertones as are the plant stems. Late winter through summer flowers appear just above the foliage in compact heads and have circular...

(Ascot Rainbow Martin's Spurge, Martin's Spurge)

Martin’s Spurge is a hybrid between the European native Euphorbia amygdaloides and the Mediterranean Euphorbia characias. The cultivar ‘Ascot Rainbow’ is a compact, tender, evergreen spurge with a clumping, upright habit and lance-shaped leaves with the pointed ends attached to the red stems. The leaves are multi-hued in shades of cream and green/blue with stunning red-pink blushing on the new growth throughout cooler months. Flowers appear above the foliage in many branched clusters....

(Blackbird Martin's Spurge, Martin's Spurge)

Martin’s Spurge ‘Blackbird’ is a hybrid between the European native Euphorbia amygdaloides and the Mediterranean Euphorbia characias. It is a tender, evergreen, spurge with a clumping, compact, upright habit and lance-shaped leaves with the pointed ends attached to the plant. The leaves are dark purple-red as are the plant stems; new leaves have a brighter reddish tone. Late winter through summer long-lasting flowers top the stems above the foliage. The flowers have circular yellow-green...

(Martin's Spurge, Rudolph Spurge)

Martin’s Spurge is a hybrid between the European native Euphorbia amygdaloides and the Mediterranean Euphorbia characias. The cultivar Rudolf is a compact, tender, evergreen spurge with a clumping, upright habit and lance-shaped leaves with the pointed ends attached to the plant. The leaves are green with red undertones as are the plant stems. Winter through summer, red bracts (modified leaves), reminiscent of a red “nose” top the stems and give way to flowers with circular bracts...

(Martin's Spurge, Tiny Tim Martin's Spurge)

Martin’s spurge is a hybrid between the European native Euphorbia amygdaloides and the Mediterranean Euphorbia characias. The cultivar ‘Waleutiny’ also known as Tiny Tim is a dwarf selection. It is a tender, evergreen spurge with a clump-forming, upright to rounded habit and lance-shaped leaves, the pointed ends attached to the plant. The small leaves and stems are green and burgundy. Flowers appear winter through summer and are composed of circular apple green bracts surrounding...