Euphorbia submammillaris (forma)

Euphorbia submammillaris (forma)

Euphorbia submammillaris (forma)

Very nice and distictive grey stemmed form. Deep maroon-purple flowers on the plant apex in late winter - early spring.
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Description

Very nice and distictive grey stemmed form. Deep maroon-purple flowers on the plant apex in late winter - early spring.

Family: Euphorbiaceae

Scientific name:  Euphorbia submammillaris A. Berger ex Pax
In: Sukk. Euphorb., 95, 1907 Description based on plants in cultivation of unknown origin.

Origin: Unknown origin (Supposed from wild plants found in South Africa, Cape Province)

Conservation status: Listed in CITES appendix 2.

Synonyms:  

  • Euphorbia cereiformis var. submamillaris A. Berger 1902

Possibly a form of E. fimbriata.

Etymology: The specific epithet 'submammillaris' comes from the Latin 'sub-', meaning 'almost, more or less'; and for the similarity to Euphorbia mammillaris.

Euphorbia submammillaris
The green new growth contrasts with the chalky white basal part of the stem.
This plant is generally sold as young individuals, often single stemmed (like above).  It is then difficult to imagine how interesting it becomes as a large cushion, with hundreds of freely branching stems.

Description: Perennial dwarf succulent shrub which may forms a dense 'cushion' of closely packed columns with a few spines. The clumps can be over 50 cm in diameter.
The plant found in cultivation and labelled  E. submammillaris are indeed very variable and of doubtful origin. Often the names “mammillaris” and “submammillaris” are used indifferently to indicate the same identical plants. and also in collection a number of plant called "submammillaris" will surely belongs to other different taxa or are hybrids of uncertain origin.
The cultivated “form” described in this page is a  quite different from the common E, mammillaris.
(If you have a more exact classification for this plant, please let know your comments)
Stems: Cylindrical, about 1,5-4,5 (or more) cm in diameter, 10-20 cm long, apex hemispherical,. Green to pale green, eventually covered by a chalky white bloom, but turning pink near the tops in the cold of winter.
Ribs: 7-10, deeply grooved between with shallow tubercles separated by horrizontal grooves up to 4 mm apart.
Spines (Sterile peduncles): None or few scattered, solitary, 1-2 cm long with 3-4 small bracts.
Flowers: Dioecious, deep maroon-purple. Cyathia 5 mm Ø, solitary in clusters near the brances tips, peduncles up to 4 mm long, with 6-6 purplish bract up to 3 mm long.
Blooming season:
Winter or spring (depending on growing conditions)

Cultivation: An easy-to-grow plant for pot culture. It grows well in a very draining mineral potting substrate, but it isn't picky about soil.  It can be watered during the growing season, and enjoys average feeding and watering.  When dormant in winter, keep it totally dry at at around 4°C.  They need a lot of light to keep their compact growth-form. The plants that are not kept in full sun grow faster, but become untidy and may need support as they get larger. But one gets best colour if grown in full sun, where the chalk white stem of this low-growing clumping columnar plant has the best colour.  It is also a prolific flowerer and makes a spectacular specimen.

Propagation: It is propagated by cuttings or seeds. Its branches and offsets are readily available.  If you remove an offset, remember to let it dry for a week or so, letting the wound heal (cuttings planted too soon easily rot before they can grow roots). It is better to wash the cut to remove the latex. The seed can be sown just under the surface in normal seedling trays, in a sandy seed mix.  Germination usually occurs within 1 - 3 weeks.

Warning: As with all other Euphorbias, when a plant get damaged it exudes a thick white milky sap known as latex. This latex is poisonous and may irritate skin, so pay extreme attention not to get any in your eyes or mouth.

Cultivated plants must be handled carefully.