Euphorbia coerulescens Seeds - South African Indigenous Succulent - Combined Worldwide Shipping

Euphorbia coerulescens Seeds

South African Indigenous Succulent

Euphorbia is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Euphorbiaceae. Consisting of 2008 species, Euphorbia is the fourth largest genus of flowering plants. The family is primarily found in the tropical and subtropical regions of Africa and the Americas, but also in temperate zones worldwide. Succulent species originate mostly from Africa, the Americas and Madagascar. The common name "spurge" derives from the Middle English/Old French espurge ("to purge"), due to the use of the plant's sap as a medicinal purgative. The plants are annual or perennial herbs, woody shrubs or trees. Many species are more or less succulent, thorny or unarmed. The main stem and mostly also the side arms of the succulent species are thick and fleshy. In the genus Euphorbia, succulence in the species has often evolved divergently and to differing degrees. Sometimes it is difficult to decide, and it is a question of interpretation, whether or not a species is really succulent or "only" xerophytic. In some cases, especially with geophytes, plants closely related to the succulents are normal herbs. About 850 species are succulent in the strictest sense. If one includes slightly succulent and xerophytic species, this figure rises to about 1000, representing about 45% of all Euphorbia species. Smaller Euphorbias make excellent potted plants while larger species are valuable landscaping plants. Euphorbia coerulescens is indigenous to southwestern South Africa. It is a freely branching species with many stems rising from the ground. Each fat stem slowly grows to as much as 1.5m high, has four to six angles and is divided into many joints. It is rather similar to Euphorbia avasmontana, but does not grow quite as large, the stem segments are shorter, the crests of the ribs have a dark (as opposed to a light coloured) horny chitinous ridge bearing two-pronged 1.25cm long spines, and the colour of the stems is never bluish. It is nevertheless a beautiful species and looks very much like a cactus species.