Succulent Gallery Part 2: Euphorbia pseudocactus

Also known as Lucky Cowboy, Dragon Bones, or Tiger Tree.

Euphorbia pseudocactus, a succulent shrub native to South Africa. You can find them in bush and savannah areas. This clump with its many stems of between 50 cm to 1 m tall forming a candelabra spurge, look a lot like a cactus. They have 4 angular ribs, with lime/yellow-green v-shaped markings, the segments on the stems can be anything from 5-15cm long, each segment represents a year of growth.

This thorny shrub blooms in late winter/early spring, displaying tiny green-yellow wax flowers on the top edge of each rib. It has sharp grey-white thorns and the stems secrete a sap that can irritate the sensitive skin.

This succulent has a water storing trunk and no leaves which help it during very dry and harsh conditions. It is a fast growing, low maintenance plant which needs quite a bit of sun and warm temperatures, preferably frost free areas (not good below 10 degrees Celsius). It thrives in fertile soil with good drainage, tons of sun and is drought tolerant. Ideal for rock gardens and pot plants.

It takes anything from 3-5 years to get a decent scrub like this one in the photo. For propagation you can take a stem cutting, dry it for a few days, then plant it in a pot filled with either moistened sand or peat.

Succulent Posts:

https://steemit.com/gardening/@crazymumzysa/succulent-galary-part-1-aloe-family-aloaceae-aalwyn-afrikaans-aalwee-dutch

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