Euphorbia horrida var. nova – African barrel – Spurge

Euphorbia horrida var. nova is an African milk barrel columnar with sharp ridges lined thorn like spines. The growth habit of this species makes it resemble the unrelated barrel cactus. Overtime, the ribs often become wavy. Pictures are of the actual plant being sold and it is 1″ tall in a 2.25″ pot for size reference. The picture of the large plant is my mother plant (not being sold) and is an  example of what your plant will look like. It will ship bareroot. Use cactus cactus mix.

Euphorbia is a very large and diverse genus of flowering plants, commonly called spurge. They are endemic of the deserts of Southern Africa and Madagascar and have evolved physical characteristics and forms similar that of cacti from North and South America, so occasionally they are confused with cacti. Euphorbias range from tiny annual plants to large and long-lived trees and the genus has over 2,000 members, making it one of the largest genera of flowering plants. Euphorbia share the feature of having a poisonous, irritating, milky, white, latex-like sap which is their defense mechanism, so rubber gloves are strongly recommended when working with them. Their unusual and unique floral structures, which are not as showy as cacti, but nevertheless interesting and beautiful. Usually blooming from the end of winter to early spring. Another big difference between cacti and euphorbia is that cacti have spines which grow from areoles and are made of leaf tissue. Some euphorbia have leaves which conform to what most of us think that leaves should look like, and have thorns instead of spines, usually in pairs, which are modified stems, like roses.

Euphorbia horrida var nova are very easy to care for. It can grow in full sun exposure but prefer light shade (East, Southeast or Southwest orientation) avoiding the sun during the central hours of the day. It requires a little more water than cacti, but should only not overwater, so water only when is completely dry. Keep dry in winter and only water if it absolutely necessary. They resist light and occasional frosts.

All my plants are healthy and pest free. All purchases on or after Wednesday will ship the following Monday to avoid plants spending the weekend at the post office. Not responsible for frozen plants or delays from postal service, that’s out of my hands. If you require a heat pack, I have some for sale, check under my other listings. I’m not making any money on these, I have them there for YOUR convenience. They are priced at $6 that’s to cover my cost. If you purchase a heat pack send me a message and let me know is for your order.