Spurge Brilliant

2024 Author: Sebastian Paterson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:47

According to the horoscope, the zodiac sign Aries (March 21-April 20) corresponds to plants: ehmeya sparkling and striped, garden geranium (with red and dark pink flowers), fluffy coleria, Indian and Japanese azalea (with red and pink flowers), reed gusmania, dwarf pomegranate, royal begonia, brilliant spurge.

A significant part of the milkweed is ranked among the world of succulents. In the process of evolution, they have learned to adapt in different ways to survival in any conditions, as a result of which there are a huge number of them - the most diverse and dissimilar to each other. Due to this, it can be difficult to believe that they can even belong to the same genus.

For all euphorbiases there is a common characteristic feature - the appearance of a poisonous milk-colored juice on a cut or with mechanical damage, therefore they are called "euphorbia". The ability to excrete this dangerous sap from such wounds protects these plants from being destroyed by animals, insects and humans.

Spurge brilliant, or euphorbia bright (E. splendens) belongs to the genus Euphorbia (family Euphorbiacea) - the most numerous among succulent euphorbia, it has almost 250 species. The scientific name was given to the genus by one of the first taxonomists of the last millennium, the ancient Roman physician Dioscarides in honor of his colleague Euphorb, who served as court physician for the rulers of Mauritania (an ancient state in northern Africa) and who owned the secret of preparing a wide variety of medicines, potions and poisoning from these plants.

It is believed that this Euphorb practiced the treatment of many ailments of his patients with the milkweed growing in the Atlas Mountains, which, most likely, was a resinous milkweed. The dried juice of the latter was even exported from the Numidian port of Magador and was highly regarded as a laxative.

During the Middle Ages, the brilliant milkweed was given several specific nicknames - "Christ's thorns", "Christ's crown", "sparkling" or "crown of thorns", since its appearance resembles a crown of thorns worn on the head of the Son of God during the crucifixion on the cross …

Note also that under natural conditions, plants of this genus are characterized by an unusually wide variety of bizarre forms (columnar, rhombic, candelabra, rod-shaped, spherical) and sizes (from 3-4 cm to several meters high).

Milkweed has oval oval leaves narrowed to the base. It has brown shoots with a gray bloom, densely covered with large straight thorns 0.5-5 cm long. Nondescript small flowers, decorated with spectacular red bracts, emerge from the leaf axils on a long peduncle. A perennial bush of glossy milkweed reaches a height of 1 m.

For abundant branching and the formation of an extensive bush in spring, the tops of a young plant are cut off. Spurge brilliant attracts many flower growers with its ability to bloom all year round on windowsills on the south side of the house (or from April to mid-summer on the north), which is somewhat weakened in winter.

This heat-loving plant is characterized by relative unpretentiousness. It can be placed anywhere in the room, but abundant flowering is observed only with sufficient lighting (it can withstand direct sunlight well, but you should not abuse it).

During the period of active development (April-September), it is watered abundantly, fed weekly. For this purpose, you can also use ready-made fertilizers for cacti offered in the trade network. For winter maintenance, the optimal temperature is the interval 15 … 17 ° C (otherwise it will shed most of the leaves), only minimal watering is provided (as the upper soil layers dry out). During the winter period, partial shedding of foliage is possible, especially if an excess of moisture forms and a low temperature is maintained.

The soil substrate consists of leafy soil, peat and sand in equal amounts. At the bottom of the pot, drainage from gravel or broken brick is arranged. Young specimens are transplanted every spring (March-April), adults - after 2-3 years. Trimming the tops of the shoots stimulates the abundant branching of the bush.

It is very easy to propagate euphorbia with stem cuttings - it can be done almost all year round. Before planting in the soil, experts recommend allowing excess juice to flow out of the cut (it will take about a day), since its abundant concentration in the ground (in the zone of formation of future roots) inhibits rooting.

To make the cuttings quickly form a high-quality root system, each of them is covered with a glass jar. Watering is carried out regularly, avoiding waterlogging of the soil substrate. A soil mixture prepared from leaf and peat soil, sand (ratio 2: 2: 1) is considered optimal.

Taking care of shiny milkweed, one should not forget that its milky juice causes skin irritation, as practice shows, it is very sensitive to it. This plant should not be kept indoors where small children are, as it can easily cling to clothing with its widely spreading shoots with numerous long (up to 3-5 cm) thorns.

It is impossible not to mention the euphorbia Mil (E. milii), which is also a certain popularity among gardeners who grow indoor euphorbia. True, it is often confused with milkweed brilliant, giving Mil milkweed those nicknames mentioned above.

A characteristic feature of Milkweed Mil is a widely spreading thorny bush with irregularly branched thin stems (up to 1-2 m high). It has almost rounded branches, brown with a gray bloom, densely covered with single thorns with pads on the nodes. Green oval leaves grow between the thorns. The leaves are located mainly on young shoots.

Inflorescences usually form in the leaf axils. The flowers are unusual and more often inconspicuous, small and inconspicuous, collected in umbrella-shaped groups. In the center there is a naked female flower, consisting of one pistil, around it there are five highly modified male flowers, consisting of stamens.

The inflorescences are located in the axils of the covering leaves, which grow together and form a bowl. The inflorescence is surrounded by spectacular pink-red bracts, which attract our attention. The duration and timing of flowering of this milkweed depend on the lighting. On the windowsills of the southern orientation, Mil's euphorbia blooms all year round, on the northern ones - from April to mid-summer; in winter, he sheds foliage.