Euphorbia Ingens

September 27, 2024

Melissa was working on her succulents over the weekend and called me out to see what was going on with her plants.  We had placed two tables in the flower bed on the north side of the house that we have yet to figure out what to do with.  Melissa decided in the short run this would be a good place to put some of her hardier cacti to take advantage of the outside.  Although these plants are visible through the porch windows, Melissa does not get out to physically check on them more than once a week.  As with most cacti and succulents, a good rule of thumb is to leave them alone and let them thrive on their own.  One of the plants has been growing particularly well over the last two years and is over 3 feet (1 m) tall.  The third section of the plant had developed greenish-yellow buds along its ridges which appeared to be ready to bloom.  When I asked, she told me this was a Euphorbia ingens (I sometimes think she uses the scientific names just to throw me off).   

When I looked online, I found the candelabra tree (Euphorbia ingens), or naboom, is a species of flowering plant in the family Euphorbiaceae native to dry and semi-savanna areas of southern Africa.  This tree is a tall succulent with green round-like branches resembling a balloon that grows to 19.5 to 26 feet (6 to 8m) tall.  The trunk of the candelabra is thick, and the stems have 5 ridges each and are 1-1/3 to 3 inches (3.5 to 7.5 cm) thick.  The segmented stems are dark-green and young sprouts have paired spines 3/16 to 5/64 inches (0.5 to 2 mm) long.  The plant blooms from autumn to winter and the small greenish yellow flowers sit on the ridges of the topmost segment.  A red, round, three-lobed capsule fruit turns purple when ripe.  The plant’s flowers are attractive for butterflies, bees and other insects, which pollinate them when gathering pollen and nectar.  The seeds are edible for birds, who also like to make their nests in the branches of these trees.  The light and solid wood of the main trunk is used in door, plank, and boat production.  The milky latex sap of the tree is highly poisonous and can cause blindness, severe skin irritation, and poisoning (when ingested) in humans and other animals.  The plant has few pests due to the toxic sap.

Euphorbia ingens grows well both indoors and outdoors and has become a popular choice for rock gardens and indoor houseplant collections due to its stately appearance and low maintenance.  In their natural environment, these succulents can grow up to 40 feet (12 m) tall, but they usually top out around 8 to 10 feet (2.5 to 3 m) tall when grown indoors.  Still, even this would take a high ceiling to accommodate a mature plant.  When grown indoors or in containers, it is extremely uncommon for this species of euphorbia to produce blooms.  Since Melissa’s plant has budded, we are waiting to see if it will break into full bloom.

THOUGHTS:  The buds on the Euphorbia ingens are only the latest of Melissa’s accomplishments.  Over the last two years she has repeatedly shown me the flowers that have bloomed on many of the succulents and cacti that are under her care.  In my case, with the exception of the ground cherry (Physalis angulate) that I did not plant and the red burgundy okra (Abelmoschus esculentus) I do not like to eat, I have often struggled with production of my plants (pole beans are another exception).  Melissa’s mom was a prolific gardener whose secret was to spend hours tending her flowers.  The same it true with Melissa who spends hours with her succulents.  I am willing to plant, water, and harvest.  Perhaps there is a lesson there.  When we are willing to put in the work, we can achieve most tasks.  That is true for gardening.  That is also true for creating positive human interaction.  Do the work.  Act for all.  Change is coming and it starts with you.