Euphorbia Species

I bought this plant in the fall of 2019. It was a couple feet tall Bush and surprisingly kept its leaves through the winter (we had sever...Read Moreal freezes that were enough to kill our 2 year old Tabebuia trees). Once the weather warmed, it’s growth exploded and it’s now over twice the size I bought it as! I don’t have a dedicated drop for it, but plants a few feet away do. It’s also on a south facing slope, so it gets plenty of sun and drainage.

It’s also called a “Caribbean Copper Plant” and I found out why at the end of winter when the leaves were loosing their deep purple/red color- they faded to a brownish red that had a shimmering effect- the leaves really looked copper!

Right now, I’m the middle of a very hot summer, the plant is a gorgeous magenta color. It’s a show stopper.

I brought a small branch about 7 inches long from a grown Euphorbia caracasana, from Caracas -Venezuela- about seven years ago.
Pl...Read Moreanted the brach in our back yard (upsidedown) and even so, the branch started to grow leaves and roots in less than a couple of weeks. It's a very fast grown shrub; lovely in the summer. It grows wild everywhere in the Caracas area. I believe it 's got the name for that particular spot.
It has lovely bright red-cardenal leaves and small yellow flowers.
It gets "sad" or dormand in winter, although in South Florida there's no such a thing as cold weather. She loves sun and warmth.
The milky substance that comes when a branch/leave is broken, is quite harmfull to some skins (not mine). My wife
is very allergic to it, causing burning blemishes that hurt a lot.

You can cut small branches (5-7 " long) and put them on any fertile soil and it'll grow beautifully.

In Spring or summer some green juicy worms attack the leaves (2" long and a pinkie in diameter). Should you know a good cajun recipe for those worms... please share it!

Cook those worms!

Enjoy your plants

The leaves will get the darker shade when in full sun. When it is kept continuously under shade for a considerable period, the newer gro...Read Morewth will have greener leaves which will turn to that red if moved to full sun for a few days. The reddish leaves at the bottom and the greener growth at the top makes it a good sight, esp. against a contrasting background. Easy to maintain this plant.

I am not sure about the species name of this plant, but it IS a Euphorbia species. This genus is one of the most diverse in the plant ki...Read Morengdom. This plant is somewhat related to the common Poinsettia, ALSO a Euphorbia species. It doesn't have to look like a succulent to be a Euphorbia. It has more to do with the floral anatomy and biology.

By the way, all Euphorbias have poisonous sap, but the poison properties vary a LOT from species to species. Poinsettias, for example, are commonly blamed for poisoning dogs and cats, but I can tell you as a veterinarian that this is not a very poisonous plant- only irritating to the mucosal tissues. Some Euphorbias are very poisonous, by the way.