Digging Dog Nursery perennials

Euphorbia mellifera
at Digging Dog

Euphorbia

Milkwort

Named after Euphorbus, physician to the king of Mauritania, this robust, sun-loving genus includes the familiar Poinsettia and is over 1600 species strong. Most species have a poisonous milky sap and softly colored bracts that surround subtly defined flowers. Autumn watches their narrow green leaves turn shades of red, orange and yellow.

Euphorbia mellifera full sun

We first saw this evergreen Euphorbia at Sissinghurst; its native home is the Canary Islands. Shrublike and taller than its relatives, its smooth green stems are whorled by narrow, bright apple green leaves marked with prominent cream-hued midribs. The "honey-bearing" epithet foretells the ambrosial aroma of its intriguing flowers, which range in color from butter to terra-cotta.

Stately in a container, Euphorbia mellifera is not reliably hardy where winters are cold and wet.

Blooms June–July.

Size: 5'–7' high x 3-2/3' wide; hardy to zone 9.

Euphorbia mellifera (P-0939)
Each $7.00
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~J. in California


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