Euphorbia horrida - 10 Seed Pack - Indigenous Endemic Drought Tolerant Succulent - NEW

Euphorbia is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the family Euphorbiaceae. Consisting of 2008 species, Euphorbia is the fourth largest genus of flowering plants. The family is primarily found in the tropical and subtropical regions of Africa and the Americas, but also in temperate zones worldwide. Succulent species originate mostly from Africa, the Americas and Madagascar. The common name "spurge" derives from the Middle English/Old French espurge ("to purge"), due to the use of the plant's sap as a medicinal purgative. The plants are annual or perennial herbs, woody shrubs or trees with a caustic, poisonous milky sap (latex). 

In the genus Euphorbia, succulence in the species has often evolved divergently and to differing degrees. Sometimes it is difficult to decide, and it is a question of interpretation, whether or not a species is really succulent or "only" xerophytic.

About 850 species are succulent in the strictest sense. If one includes slightly succulent and xerophytic species, this figure rises to about 1000, representing about 45% of all Euphorbia species. Smaller Euphorbias make excellent potted plants while larger species are valuable landscaping plants.

Euphorbia horrida commonly known as African Milk Barrel in English and Noorsdoring, Regopnoors or Regopnoorsdoring in Afrikaans is a South African endemic succulent found exclusively in the Eastern Cape and Western Cape Provinces. Though it is not a cactus it looks like a cactus-like shrub showing remarkable similarities to the true cacti of the New World, and thus an example of convergent evolution. Growing to 1.5 m, it has blue-green, heavily-ridged spiny stems carrying solitary green flowers in summer. It develops new shoots laterally at the base of the plant, often forming roots and thus a successful means of propagation. The Latin specific epithet horrida means with many prickles.