Euphorbia: a description of the indoor flower, the name of the species, as well as how the Euphorbia (Euphorbia) house plant, similar to a cactus, looks in the photo and where does it grow?

Euphorbia, also known as euphorbia, belongs to the vast family of euphorbia. In various botanical classifications, there are from 800 to 2000 varieties of this plant.

Milkweeds differing in their appearance and growing conditions have one thing in common - they contain caustic poisonous milky juice, thanks to which they got their name. We will talk about the features of this flower, the rules for its cultivation, methods of reproduction and care for it in our article.

Botanical description of a houseplant

What kind of plant is euphorbia? Euphorbia (Euphórbia) - perennial herbaceous, shrubby or tree-like plants. Most varieties are classified as succulents - plants with fleshy, moisture-accumulating leaves and stems. However, there are leafy milkwort.

There are species that are very similar to cacti, but belonging to the family of euphorbiaceae, which are distinguished by toxic juice, the structure of flowers and fruits, many representatives are indoor plants. Among the "false cacti" there are spherical, trihedral, cylindrical species with powerful, thick ribbed stems, usually covered with needles or hairs.

Attention: All types of plants are highly resilient and feel great in hot deserts, semi-deserts and steppes.

Subtropical belt of Africa considered the homeland of milkweed, the plant is also common in Arabia, tropical and subtropical regions of South America, the Canary Islands, and Southeast Asia. Introduced to North America, where it grows well. In Russia, wild euphorbia lives in Altai, the Caucasus, the Far East, the European part of the Russian Federation, the Urals and Siberia, where it also has taken root well.

What does it look like?

Despite external differences, all species of milkweed are characterized by a powerful, branched, superficial root system, which makes it possible to extract water even from the driest soil.

Plant height can be from five centimeters to two meters. The leaves, depending on the species, can be of very different shapes - narrow and wide, small or rather large, oval, round, drop-shaped, with denticles along the edges and without them, in the form of spikes, needles and even hairs. They are located alternately or opposite to each other, collected in whorls or single, sessile or on short petioles.

Individual varieties have no leaves at all. In them, the process of photosynthesis proceeds in the stem.

Flowers are collected in umbrella (cymoid) or spike-shaped inflorescences, framed by bracts of leaves. Milkweed have a variety of colors:

pink;
reds;
purple
yellow;
green.

Fruits in the form of a three-bladed nut, with a smooth, tuberous or wrinkled shell. Inside the nuts are small seeds that fly apart over long distances.

About 120 species of plants are used as decorative ones. Milkweed is used in group plantings, rock gardens, less often in regular plantings on the ground and for cutting into bouquets. Some species are grown as houseplants. The plant prefers half-shaded places and light, humus-fertilized soils..

Bloom

Wild plants found on the territory of the Russian Federation usually bloom from May to July. Indoor flowering species with proper care can bloom all year round. But more often the plants bloom from June to September. However, there are varieties blooming in the winter or not blooming at all in room conditions.

Photo

To have an idea what kind of indoor flower, the Latin name of which is Euphorbia, check out the photos of the plant:

Can I keep at home?

When growing a plant at home, precautions should be taken.. Do not plant euphorbia if there are pets in the house who are able to feast on juicy leaves. Do not put pots with this plant in the nursery.

According to popular beliefs, the euphorbia protects the house from danger, bad people, helps to achieve wealth, family well-being and success. Like cacti, it’s useful to place small plants near the computer, as they can minimize the effects of radiation. About whether it is worth keeping this plant at home and the danger of euphorbia, read here.

Kinds

Many types of milkweed are grown as garden and indoor plants, used in landscape design. Among the species grown in the garden, the most popular are:

multicolor euphorbia, reaching a height of 70 cm, blooming from late May to early August;
almond-shaped with yellow-green flowers;
fringed euphorbia with beautiful drop-shaped fringed leaves and white flowers;
cypress - with thin, needle-shaped leaves, fragrant yellow-red flowers;
myrtle leaf spurge with ash-blue leaves and yellow flowers;
euphorbia multifolia - a semi-shrubby species with red upper leaves.

Of the many indoor varieties, it is possible to distinguish trihedral, obese, white-toothed, cereus-shaped, large-horned euphorbia, Euphorbia milia, Euphorbia Tirukalli.

Important: One of the most famous indoor species is poinsettia or the most beautiful euphorbia, with very beautiful star flowers blooming in December.

Useful and healing properties

From ancient times it was believed that the plant has healing and magical properties.. The whitish, thick juice of the plant contains various resins, alkoloids, rubber, mineral salts, tannins, coumarins, amino acids, essential oils, euphorbon.

The chemical composition and effect of milkweed juice on the body has not yet been fully studied. Nevertheless, it is widely used in folk medicine. It is used:

as a strong aphrodisiac;
immunity enhancer;
for the information of warts, foot fungus, corns;
for whitening the skin and discoloration of age spots;
as an anthelmintic;
as an anesthetic, strengthening, anti-inflammatory agent.

Herbalists use milk juice for the treatment of kidney diseases, with animal bites, as a laxative and as a rejuvenating drug. However, traditional medicine does not recommend the use of drugs and fees containing euphorbia without the recommendation of a doctor.

You will learn about the benefits and harms of milkweed in a separate article.

Breeding

Homemade "false cactus" euphorbia easily propagated by cuttings and seeds.

Cuttings

In May, cuttings are harvested. To do this, take a twig 7-15 cm long, remove the lower leaves from it, wash off the juice with running water or lower the twig for 2-3 hours in water, and then wipe the section dry.
The slice is dried with charcoal and the stalk is dried for 2-3 days.
Dried cuttings are planted in wet sand and placed so that direct sunlight does not fall on the plant.
Before rooting, the seedling is regularly watered, keeping the soil moist.

Watch the video about rooting milkweed cuttings:

Seeds

During seed propagation, fruit nuts are collected with seeds, laid out in tissue or paper bags and stored for no more than a year. Immediately before sowing, the seeds are soaked for 2-3 hours.

Sowing is carried out in a sand-peat substrate or soil mixture of sand (2 parts), leafy earth (2 parts) and clay-turf soil (3 parts) in separate containers, at the bottom of which a centimeter drainage layer is made. The stalks and roots of milkweed are very fragile, so it does not tolerate diving and transplanting.

The first week in the room the temperature is maintained at + 10-15 ºC, then the temperature is increased up to + 20 ºC. Seeds, depending on the species, germinate from 20 days to 2-3 months. Pots with seedlings are best placed in a pan with waterso that the soil is constantly moderately moist.

Read more about breeding milkweed at home and growing in the open ground here.

Home Care

Euphorbia is an unpretentious plant and does not require careful care. Garden crops should be watered only with prolonged drought. For the rest, they adhere to the traditional agricultural technology for ornamental plants - regular cultivation and weeding. Caring for indoor varieties adhere to the following simple rules:

In the spring-summer period, the temperature in the room is maintained at + 22-25 ºC, in winter the plants are moved to a room with a temperature of 14-16 ºC. It should be borne in mind that euphorbia is afraid of drafts and sudden changes in temperature.
Milkweed needs intense lighting. In winter, plants dovetail. The best place for milkweed is a window sill by a window facing south or southeast.
The plant prefers moderate (once a week) watering in the spring-summer period. In the winter months, the frequency of irrigation is reduced so that the land can dry well between treatments. Some cactus-like varieties need only one watering in 2-3 months. For irrigation take the settled water at room temperature.
Euphorbia is fed 2-3 times a month with fertilizers for succulents or orchids. Spherical milkweed is not recommended to be fed with nitrogen-containing fertilizers, which may cause cracks on the skin. In winter, during dormancy, plants are not fed.
Young plants are transplanted annually. As they grow, the frequency of transplants is reduced to one in 2-3 years.
Some varieties require regular pruning and bush formation. Pruning is done after the end of the flowering period.

Euphorbia with its superficial root system is best planted in a wide, but not deep pot. In too large a container, the milkweed stem is stretched, the flowering period is reduced.

Tip: Excess moisture leads to rotting of the roots of the home plant and uneven coloring of the stem and leaves. With insufficient watering, the leaves begin to turn yellow, dry and fall off.

Diseases and Pests

Although euphorbia is poisonous and practically not susceptible to disease, it still suffers from certain types of pests. Roots can damage powdery worms, leaves become white spots, wither when aphids or whiteflies attack. Insecticides are used to control pests..

Euphorbia has long ceased to be an exotic plant. Many gardeners and flower growers successfully grow euphorbia on a personal plot or on a windowsill, and the variety of species allows you to create really beautiful decorative compositions that delight the eye all year round.