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PlantFiles: Crown of Thorns, Christ Plant, Siamese Lucky Plant
Euphorbia milii

 
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Family: Euphorbiaceae (yoo-for-bee-AY-see-ee) (Info)
Genus: Euphorbia (yoo-FOR-bee-uh) (Info)
Species: milii (MIL-ee-eye) (Info)

Synonym:Euphorbia splendens var. milii

3 vendors have this plant for sale.

22 members have or want this plant for trade.

Category:
Tropicals and Tender Perennials

Height:
24-36 in. (60-90 cm)

Spacing:
18-24 in. (45-60 cm)

Hardiness:
USDA Zone 9a: to -6.6 °C (20 °F)
USDA Zone 9b: to -3.8 °C (25 °F)
USDA Zone 10a: to -1.1 °C (30 °F)
USDA Zone 10b: to 1.7 °C (35 °F)
USDA Zone 11: above 4.5 °C (40 °F)

Sun Exposure:
Sun to Partial Shade

Danger:
All parts of plant are poisonous if ingested
Handling plant may cause skin irritation or allergic reaction

Bloom Color:
Pink
Red
Pale Yellow
White/Near White

Bloom Time:
Blooms all year
Blooms repeatedly

Foliage:
Grown for foliage
Evergreen
Deciduous

Other details:
Average Water Needs; Water regularly; do not overwater
This plant is suitable for growing indoors

Soil pH requirements:
6.1 to 6.5 (mildly acidic)
6.6 to 7.5 (neutral)
7.6 to 7.8 (mildly alkaline)

Patent Information:
Non-patented

Propagation Methods:
From softwood cuttings
Allow cut surface to callous over before planting

Seed Collecting:
Collect seedhead/pod when flowers fade; allow to dry
Allow seedheads to dry on plants; remove and collect seeds

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There are a total of 58 photos.
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Profile:

16 positives
4 neutrals
2 negatives

Gardeners' Notes:

RatingAuthorComment
Neutral Joan On Oct 11, 2009, Joan from Belfield, ND (Zone 4a) wrote:


Editor's Note

Some resources list all parts of Euphorbia as poisonous if ingested.

The toxic principal is the diterpene esters in the milky latex. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

If the milky latex comes in contact with the skin, it can cause redness, swelling and blisters.

We tend to err on the side of caution in PlantFiles, and the danger notation in the details above is to caution gardeners, parents and pet owners to look further for more information.
Negative vincentfrost On Oct 10, 2009, vincentfrost from caloundra
Australia wrote:

i wish i can give this plant some good news, but i can't.
where i'm working at; we have some of these plants here, but what most people don't know that; is every part of the plant is poisonous.
the leaves, the flowers, thorns, the bark and even the roots as well.
(note: the roots leaked an type of poison which is poisonous to fish and to some animals)

Positive CabinHillGifts On Jun 23, 2009, CabinHillGifts from Goldendale, WA wrote:

The most beautiful and easy to grow indoor house plants I have ever had the joy of owning. I have always had it inside due to the extreme cold, extreme hot and extreme winds in my area and kept the children well away from it. This year I put it outside still in its inside pot. The wind ripped the beautiful flowers off right away and the big green leaves started to curl. Hubby looked at it one day when I was not around and thought it was dry so he watered it again. I later explained to him it was not dry but getting wind blown badly in the spot it was sitting, so he got the hand truck and moved it to another spot. Here is when we noticed the problem. When it was in the first location, some deer must have nibbled on the leaves, because some of them seem to have been snapped off next to but not close to the trunk. I thought the wind had blown off the flowers, now I saw the deer ate them off. SO, how poisonous is this plant? Will I find deer a short distance from my home laying on the ground in a deadly state. Or will they just have the diarrhea for a while. This is serious and I would like a comment from someone that knows what part of this plant is poisonous and how poisonous it is to deer, chickens ect? Yes, we have since moved it to a fenced in area.

Positive pforrester On Jun 8, 2006, pforrester from Fallbrook, CA wrote:

I live in 10b Southern CA. My mother-in-law brought this crown of thorns to our home when she moved in. It was in a pot outside and rarely watered b/c it was on the side of the house where I never saw it. So it was totally neglected for 4-5 years or longer but it survived. Last year I decided to plant it in full sun with a drip hose to it. It has grown a lot and is about 2' tall & round and flowers continually year round. It is very beautiful. It seems to be able to survive on little water and in the heat of summer but loves being planted in the ground with regular water and lots of sun.

Positive Carren On Oct 4, 2005, Carren from Cave Creek, AZ wrote:

I have two of these plants. Both are outside, full sun and in a terracotta pot. I placed a 3" plastic PVC pipe with holes in it, in the center of pot and planted around it. I water using a drip system which drips in the center of the PVC pipe. When our temps reach 110 - 115, I fill this pipe to the top, once a week. They are beautiful, full and lush with many flowers.

Positive brugmansialover On Jun 18, 2005, brugmansialover from Santa Maria, CA (Zone 9a) wrote:

I love this plant, i currently have two red ones, one is outside and the other is inside, they both get full sun, and they just never stop blooming!!! If you are having trouble getting them too bloom, i suggest moving them to a sunny window, with at least 5 hours of sun, also fertalize with a bloom booster fertalizer, that is about 10-60-10, one with a high middle number, over 50 is better! And then just watch it bloom and bloom and bloom, i cant wait to get the other colors!

Neutral beverlyf On Aug 21, 2004, beverlyf from Weimar, TX (Zone 8b) wrote:

I am a beginner with this plant. Right now, I am not doing good. I have it indoors and in a north window. It does not get direct sun. All the blooms are gone and some of the leaves are dying. Help! Do I need to get it to a sunny window? or what?

Positive booliesmom On Aug 11, 2004, booliesmom from Sunnyvale, CA wrote:

I picked up a couple of dying 3 inch plants from a produce stand about two years ago and they are marvelous! My plant is now about two feet tall and has three big branches and a baby that just formed. I had to cut a few branches off to make room for the new one, and not knowing anything about rooting hormone or letting them callous over before planting, I simply stuck them in dirt and watered them, and within about two months they had rapidly begun growing. People say to let them dry out before watering, but I just water every 3-4 days, and I have NEVER fertilized it. It's doing so well, I wonder how much better it would look if I DID. A truly fantastic plant.

Positive CatskillKarma On Jul 27, 2004, CatskillKarma from West Kill, NY wrote:

My husband has had a crown of thorns for more than the twenty years I've known him. He stakes his upright, but the ones I've seen at the Brooklyn Botanical garden are allowed to drape down a ledge. We keep it as a houseplant in a window with a half day of sun and it is perfectly happy. His flowers in intermittent bursts that appear seasonal. It is a slow grower, but has lasted longer than any other houseplant I have known.

Positive AngeGuardien On Jul 26, 2004, AngeGuardien from Murray, KY wrote:

I just received a small crown of thorns planting grown from a cutting from my grandparents. I live in western Kentucky. My grandparents live in south Georgia and have kept it as a house plant. The original plant belonged to my great-grandmother who lived in Manhatten. Sharing cuttings among family and friends is an interesting way to be connected across the ages and the miles!

Positive msgrnthumb1 On Jul 9, 2004, msgrnthumb1 from Federalsburg, MD wrote:

I have had my plant now for abour 4 years. My grand mother rooted it for me from her plant, and I have since rooted 3 babies from mine. The mother plant stands about 2 and one half feet tall, but only about 6 inches wide. It is so long I had to put a stake in the pot and tie the plant to it so it would stand. Is this common?

Positive JenniferG On Jun 30, 2004, JenniferG from Shalimar, FL (Zone 8a) wrote:

I have 2 of these guys as houseplants. No special care. No special fertilizer ( I use a very weak liquid fert. every time I water). Sunny window. Always in flower! Nice.

Positive hanna1 On Jun 28, 2004, hanna1 from Castro Valley, CA (Zone 9a) wrote:

I planted one in Carbon Canyon Ca, 91709, My soil was very alkyline. I watered it rarely, it grew fairly fast to a hight of 4ft and as wide. My parents had 2 in Anaheim, Ca 92802, sandy soil, and was rarely watered there, in 40 years it still stands at 6ft.

Positive DaraMV On Apr 16, 2004, DaraMV wrote:

I've several varieties of Crown of Thorns. They can be slow growing but put out a bunch of flowers. It is also one of my favorites plants because it never stops blooming! Crown of thorns come in hybrids with yellow, white, pink or red bracts. There are other hybrids with hydrangea-like bracts that can be bicolored and they are absolutely brilliant.

Positive organist On Mar 14, 2004, organist from Buffalo, NY wrote:

I have two of these plants that have been house plants for about 30 years. One of them even seeded a new one for me. They are now in church, with a few cactus, as part of a Lenten display; very effective.

Positive RIPPER039 On Aug 15, 2003, RIPPER039 from Fontana, CA (Zone 9a) wrote:

This plant does good here in Fontana, California. I keep it in the sun potted. I use aerated compost tea made with alfalfa, kelp, fish emulsion, compost, green sand to foliar feed (once every 10 days), 1 cup of tea to 4 cups of water and soil, alternating from diluted tea to plain water to Peters Bloom fertilizer at 1/4 strength- anytime I water.

For the soil mix I use peat moss, compost, perlite, vermiculite, a little bit of steer manure. Also I leach the soil after the second application of Peters to
get rid of any excess salt. (Diluted tea-water-Peters-diluted tea-water-Peters-leach)works for me!

Neutral nipajo On Aug 5, 2003, nipajo from Dallas, TX (Zone 8b) wrote:

I have two plants both in pots in the full sun outside. I have not seen any flowers, and the leaves are losing color they are not as green as when I had them in the house. I do not over-water but I must be doing something wrong. I live in Dallas so the heat is pretty intense.

Positive texasplantlady On Jul 20, 2003, texasplantlady from Dickinson, TX wrote:

Gorgeous wood!

Positive kalina On Jan 14, 2003, kalina wrote:

it is also possible to grow these from root cuttings

Negative cacoan On Dec 2, 2002, cacoan wrote:

This plant was sold to me with the presumption that it could handle harsh environments both the heat and cold. When we had our first cold snap I started looking around on the internet to find out more about them. They had already withstood a terrible drought earlier this year and I was impressed at this point because they still looked beautiful.

After the cold snap they started withering and looking very sick. On this web site I finally found information on the zones that these guys do well in and if I remember correct 9A or 9B is the coldest.

Positive HSteinway On Nov 11, 2002, HSteinway wrote:

In order to correctly cut this plant for propagation:

1. use a sharp clipper and cut about 6 inches back from the meristem (point of growth).

2. The plant will bleed a white latex-like substance, it is poisonous so do not touch it.

3. Allow cuttings to dry for roughly 3 days before planting. A rooting hormone will help significantly.

4. Do not lose hope, eventually your cuttings will root.

Neutral JanetR On Sep 8, 2001, JanetR from Ottawa, ON (Zone 4a) wrote:

This woody semi-succulent from Madagascar is not the one used during Christ's crucifixion, despite claims to the contrary. Very popular in Thailand and other Asian countries where it is believed to bring good luck, there are an astonishing number of hybrids and cultivars, although only a limited number are available in North America.

Thick, sprawling stems support long thorns and oval or lance-shaped leaves. The "flowers" are in actual fact showy bracts.

This plant will flower better in full sun, but will probably suffer from burnt leaves. Misting in the afternoon can help overcome this problem.

Regional...

This plant has been said to grow in the following regions:

,
Cave Creek, Arizona
Goodyear, Arizona
Phoenix, Arizona
Anaheim, California
Chino Hills, California
Clayton, California
Encino, California
Fallbrook, California
Fontana, California
Lompoc, California
Reseda, California
Solvang, California
Spring Valley, California
Thousand Oaks, California
Venice, California
Pueblo, Colorado
Alachua, Florida
Bartow, Florida
Brandon, Florida
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Groveland, Florida
Gulf Breeze, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Keystone Heights, Florida
Lehigh Acres, Florida
Lutz, Florida
Melbourne Beach, Florida
Naples, Florida (2 reports)
New Port Richey, Florida (2 reports)
New Smyrna Beach, Florida
Port Charlotte, Florida
Punta Gorda, Florida
Saint James City, Florida
Saint Petersburg, Florida
Tunnel Hill, Georgia
Honomu, Hawaii
Waipahu, Hawaii
Olathe, Kansas
Gray, Louisiana
Vidalia, Louisiana
Federalsburg, Maryland
Oakland, Maryland
Dixon, Missouri
Deposit, New York
Poughkeepsie, New York
Winston Salem, North Carolina
Vieques, Puerto Rico
Conway, South Carolina
Austin, Texas
Brazoria, Texas
Brownsville, Texas
Bulverde, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Deer Park, Texas
Dickinson, Texas
Houston, Texas (2 reports)
Mcallen, Texas
Pearland, Texas
Port Lavaca, Texas
San Antonio, Texas (2 reports)
Santa Fe, Texas
Goldendale, Washington



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