Euphorbia or the Most Beautiful Spurge

Family Euphorbiaceae. Shrub up to 3 m high. Leaves 10-15 cm long, ovate-elliptic to lanceolate, pointed at the tip, with smooth, serrated or lobed margins, on long petioles.

Flowers small, inconspicuous, in complex umbellate inflorescences at the ends of shoots, surrounded by numerous bright red bracts. Native range - Mexico and Central America; found in humid mountainous areas. In cultivation since 1834. There are many garden forms with white, pink and various shades of red bracts. Blooms in December, so this species is sometimes called "Christmas Star".

The spurge exudes a white sap (hence the name - "milk tea"), which can cause allergies or irritation of the mucous membranes. Spurge tirukalli - very poisonous and should not be in "contact" with children

Temperature: 13-28 °C, in winter 18-20 °C

Lighting: bright in summer; from the end of September the plant is placed in a dark spot during the second half of the day to prepare for flowering

Humidity: moderate, occasional misting in summer

Watering: plentiful in summer, sparse during the dormant period (after flowering)

Feeding: in the summer period with a solution of mineral fertilizers and cow manure every 2-3 weeks

Propagation: by cuttings, first dipping them for 20 minutes in warm water to let the milky sap drain, then making another cut 1.5 cm below the node; propagate from mid-spring to early summer at a temperature of 21 °C

Soil: soil mixture of leaf mold, topsoil, humus, peat, sand (1:1:1:1:1)

Possible problems: the plant is sensitive to overwatering