Succulents: Euphorbia Milii - The Crown of Thorns by - @crazymumzysa

The Crown of thorns was very popular in the Victorian era and is native to Madagascar. It was introduced to France in 1821. It is believed that during the ancient times this plant was used for the thorny crown of Christ in the Middle East.

This evergreen succulent is part of the spurge family and is a climbing plant, reaching a height of 1.8m with a spread of up to 90cm wide. It received the prestigious Award of Garden Merit for its qualities. They are perfect for rock gardens, as a border and as a low hedge, they do well as houseplants too.

The crown thorn flowers come in colours of red, pink and white. You mostly find red in the South African gardens. The flowers are small and subtended by a pair of petal-like bracts. It flowers all year round but are more lush during early autumn and winter.

This shrub has multiple greyish-brown woody stems which is covered with thorns, dark green leaves mostly on new growths and bright coloured flowers. It is drought resistant and stores water in its stems.

Thrives in full sun, moist to dry and well-drained soil. Although it is heat and drought tolerant, it will bloom more when kept moist. It is quite resilient to pests and diseases.

The crown thorns sap is poisonous and causes irritation to they eyes, throat, mouth and skin, in severe cases vomiting has been reported. It is important to wear gloves when working with this plant.

Happy Gardening!

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