Euphorbia Species, African Milk Bush
Euphorbia umbellata
Family: | Euphorbiaceae (yoo-for-bee-AY-see-ee) (Info) |
Genus: | Euphorbia (yoo-FOR-bee-uh) (Info) |
Species: | umbellata (um-bell-AY-tuh) (Info) |
Synonym: | Synadenium grantii |
Synonym: | Synadenium umbellatum |
Category:
Cactus and Succulents
Water Requirements:
Drought-tolerant; suitable for xeriscaping
Sun Exposure:
Full Sun
Sun to Partial Shade
Foliage:
Grown for foliage
Evergreen
Good Fall Color
Smooth
Veined
Velvet/Fuzzy
This plant is resistant to deer
Foliage Color:
Chartreuse/Yellow
Burgundy/Maroon
Orange/Apricot
Height:
12-18 in. (30-45 cm)
18-24 in. (45-60 cm)
Spacing:
9-12 in. (22-30 cm)
12-15 in. (30-38 cm)
Hardiness:
USDA Zone 8b: to -9.4 °C (15 °F)
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)
Where to Grow:
Can be grown as an annual
Suitable for growing in containers
Danger:
All parts of plant are poisonous if ingested
Bloom Color:
Brown/Bronze
Bloom Characteristics:
This plant is attractive to bees, butterflies and/or birds
Bloom Size:
Bloom Time:
Other details:
Soil pH requirements:
5.6 to 6.0 (acidic)
6.1 to 6.5 (mildly acidic)
6.6 to 7.5 (neutral)
Patent Information:
Non-patented
Propagation Methods:
From woody stem cuttings
From softwood cuttings
Seed Collecting:
Regional
This plant is said to grow outdoors in the following regions:
Goodyear, Arizona
Los Angeles, California
Los Gatos, California
San Diego, California
Kurtistown, Hawaii
Medford, Oregon
show allGardeners' Notes:
Rating | Content |
---|---|
Positive | On Nov 13, 2016, Thisguyhasplant from Medford or, I totally commented on the wrong milk plant. Dang it. I have two huge ones in my living room. |
Positive | On May 11, 2014, jv123 from Chehalis, WA (Zone 8b) wrote: We had some nice weather this spring, so I brought my plant outside to soak up some sun. Bad idea. It sunburned so bad that it dropped all of it's leaves and died back to about a foot of stem. After that the good weather went away, and got down into the 30s. I figured it was dead, but I guess 30s isn't low enough to kill the stem even with pacific northwest wet weather. I think I'll keep it in a pot though, just in case it snows next winter. |
Positive | On Mar 25, 2009, kjglowacki from Bushnell, IL wrote: I have been trying to find out the name of this plant for 4 years now. I have always thought it was a cactus but a friend of mine told me today it was an African Milk Plant. I rescued him from WalMart and put him in a pot and he has been growing every since. He is now up to 6'7" tall and is very difficult to move. |
Positive | On Nov 24, 2007, wlam from Germantown, TN wrote: water moderate in the summer keep dry in the winter water once a month or less if you cut there shoots off put them in soil wright away they will root |
Positive | On Oct 10, 2007, Green_Horn from Los Angeles, CA wrote: I have had this plant since 1981 but never knew the name until yesterday when my sister from Los Gatos, CA discovered it to be Synadenium grantii (African milk bush). I made some cuttings last year and let them root in water vases and gave them away to neighbors and officemates. I named it "birchot" (blessing in Hebrew). My plant is in the soil of my front porch, my mom's is in a pot in her front porch, the cuttings in the office are in water vases. ALL their foliage look different. The cuttings are easy to grow though. I just found out yesterday that the milky sap is poisonous. But I still love my plant. |