I am not sure what made me pick up this struggling plant from the clearance shelf at Lowe’s. Euphorbia milii was completely new to me. For some reason I am always drawn to plants that I know very little about and I felt it was worth the marked down price of three dollars.
In the beginning, I thought this succulent plant/shrub was in bad shape. After digging through its dirt I found that while part of the plant was rotting, there was plenty of good pieces work with.
Crown of Thorns Plant
Euphorbia millii is commonly known as the “Crown of Thorns” plant or “Christ’s Plant”. It gets this name for its thorny stem and comparison to the wreath of thorns worn by Jesus . This plant is native to Madagascar and is toxic to both pets and humans. Inside the stem is a sap liquid that can cause skin irritation and upset stomach if ingested. It can be deadly if ingested by animals.
My favorite thing about discovering this unique plant are the sweet little flowers that bloom a top the thorny stems. It is a shrub type succulent so it appears to be a little flowering bush in a pot.
Euphorbia Milii Care:
- This plant is toxic! Handle and repot wearing gloves and keep out of reach of children and pets
- Treat this plant as a succulent and plant in cactus mix or some well draining soil mix
- Only water when dry. This plant is sensitive to over watering.
- Keep in bright indirect sunlight
- Protect from frost and keep in warm temperatures
If you like the Euphorbia milii then you might like this other Madagascar native, Pachypodium lamerei featured in this Amazon plant haul.
