Euphorbia milii (Crown-of-thorns or Christ Plant) is a woody, succulent species of Euphorbia native to Madagascar. The species name commemorates Baron Milius, once governor of Réunion, who introduced the species to France in 1821.[1] It is suspected that the species was introduced to the Middle East in ancient times, and legend associates it with the crown of thorns worn by Jesus.[1]

 

Description

It is a succulent climbing shrub growing to 1.8m tall, with densely spiny stems, the straight, slender spines up to 3 cm long, which help it scramble over other plants. The leaves are found mainly on new growth,[1] and are obovate, up to 3.5 cm long and 1.5 cm broad. The flowers are small, subtended by a pair of conspicuous petal-like bracts, variably red, pink or white, up to 12 mm broad.[2] The sap is moderately poisonous. Wat Phrik in the Phitsanulok District of Phitsanulok Province, Thailand claims to be the home of the world's tallest Christ plant.[3]

Varieties

It is a variable species, and several varieties have been described; some of these are treated as distinct species by some authors.[2]

Euphorbia milii var. bevilaniensis (Croizat) Ursch & Leandri 1955

Euphorbia milii var. hislopii (N.E.Br.) Ursch & Leandri 1955 (syn. E. hislopii)

Euphorbia milii var. imperatae (Leandri) Ursch & Leandri 1955

Euphorbia milii var. longifolia Rauh 1967

Euphorbia milii var. milii

Euphorbia milii var. roseana Marn.-Lap. 1962

Euphorbia milii var. splendens (Bojer ex Hook.) Ursch & Leandri 1955

Euphorbia milii var. tananarivae (Leandri) Ursch & Leandri 1955

Euphorbia milii var. tenuispina Rauh & Razaf. 1991

Euphorbia milii var. tulearensis Ursch & Leandri 1955

Euphorbia milii var. vulcanii (Leandri) Ursch & Leandri 1955

 

 

References

1. Ombrello, Dr T., Crown of Thorns, Plant of the Week, UCC Biology Department, retrieved 1 October 2009

2. Huxley, A., ed. (1992). New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. ISBN 0-333-47494-5

3. ThaiTambon.com

Attribution

Wikipedia contributors, "Euphorbia milii," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php (accessed May 10, 2010).