How Fast Does Euphorbia Abyssinica Grow?
What Is Euphorbia Abyssinica?
Euphorbia abyssinica, often known as the desert candle or candelabra spurge, is a plant species in the Euphorbiaceae family. Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, and Eritrea are home to E. abyssinica.
Johann Friedrich Gmelin, a German botanist, described it for the first time in 1791. It can reach a height of 10 m (33 ft) in its natural habitat.
The woody stem is utilized for firewood as well as lumber for roofing, furniture, and other products, and the sap is employed in traditional medicine. It is often grown as a decorative houseplant.
How Do You Tell Euphorbia Abyssinica?
- abyssinica is a big, succulent, erect tree-like plant that can grow to be 9–10 m (30–33 ft) tall. It can grow as a single plant or in candelabra-like bunches. As the main stem ages, it becomes woody and sends forth green side branches with five to eight ribs or angles that branch at intervals.
The terminal branches have three to five ribs, with four being the most common. The ribs of young shoots have little spherical protuberances on which the leaves, flowers, and fruit develop. In the dry season, the leaves are tiny, leathery, and oval, and they fall quickly.
The flowers have yellowish bracts but no petals; male flowers have a solitary stamen while female flowers have a stalked pistil and branching stigmas. The fruits are three chamber capsules. The plants emit a toxic latex-like sap that can cause blindness, skin irritation, and blistering.
Is Euphorbia Abyssinica Frost Hardy?
Hardiness: Frost delicate, frost free zones only. It is definitely more tender than Euphorbia ammak or Euphorbia ingens.
Euphorbia abyssinica is not frost hardy. If you live in a zone that experiences cold weather, you’ll need to keep your E. abyssinica indoors in a warm and sunny spot.
It is drought tolerant but frost prone. It is one of the best home plants for a Euphorbia, adapting well to low light conditions (though recommend higher light if possible).
Can Euphorbia Abyssinica Grow Indoors?
Yes, Euphorbia abyssinica can be grown indoors in cold areas. It is popular as a potted plant for light, well-drained soil outdoors for summer and for sunny window sills indoors.
- abyssinica makes a great houseplant. It is more resistant to low light conditions than other Euphorbias. This one of the most forgiving in low-light conditions, with the only problem being the leaf tips die off quickly (as they often do on many succulents).
Euphorbia abyssinica can be grown indoors all year round. If you want to grow your plant indoors, make sure you give it some space and proper light.
Cultivation and Propagation: It is a simple plant that grows well in any well-drained soil in full sun. However, young plants thrive indoors, where they can easily reach the ceiling.
What Is Euphorbia Abyssinica Good For?
Euphorbia abyssinica is grown as a decorative house plant, valued for its architectural form and ease of care. In suitable areas, it is also grown as a garden plant, including under the synonym Euphorbia acrurensis.
The woody tree-like stem is utilized for firewood and as lumber in roofing, furniture, wooden saddles, and other goods in its native lands. Ticks on cattle can be killed using the sap. In traditional medicine, the sap was combined with butter to cure skin fungal diseases.
In addition, the sap has been utilized to treat visceral leishmaniasis and malaria. It has also been shown to aid in the roots of cuttings of plants such as Boswellia papyrifera.
This is due to the presence of the growth regulator hormone indole-3-acetic acid in the sap; branches and twigs that become detached root easily; and the plant is frequently used to build a living fence.
- can be propagated via cuttings. abyssinica does not grow the distinctive trunk that differs in appearance from the branches found in naturally occurring plants.
Is Euphorbia Abyssinica Deer Resistant?
The sap is toxic to most animals, including humans.
Deer and rabbits do not like the taste of it either and will not eat it. Smaller animals such as squirrels can be a bit more problematic for some people because they do dine on the leaves too (not recommended for those with small dogs or cats).
Euphorbia abyssinica, like most other spurge Euphorbia, is highly susceptible to insect damage. Like all Euphorbias, it contains a poisonous latex sap.
This plant is used to teach the dangers of invasive plants in schools. It can grow in a bright indoor setting with little care required. Be careful not to over water this plant, as it will often lead to root rot; watering from below is best.
Is Euphorbia Abyssinica Drought Tolerant?
This tree can be planted in gardens with huge, rocky, well-drained soil. It is drought tolerant but vulnerable to frost. It is one of the best home plants for a Euphorbia, thriving in low-light conditions (though recommend higher light if possible).
With only a few spines along the plant’s edges, it’s quite user-friendly. However, it is a little delicate, and the spines readily break off, exposing the latex sap. It is also popular as a live fence since it can be grown easily from untreated mature branch cuttings.
What Is The Common Name Of Euphorbia Abyssinica?
Euphorbia Abyssinica is also known as the ‘Desert Candle.’ As it matures, the plant will grow to be roughly 10 m (33 ft) tall. The plant’s most remarkable characteristic is its strong, brilliant green stem with four ribs. When the flower blooms, it will produce flowers without petals but simply yellow bracts.
How Fast Does Euphorbia Abyssinica Grow?
Growing rate: It grows reasonably fast and will quickly mature into enormous landscape masterpieces in about 3-5 years.
It grows moderately quickly and is widely available. It is not often cultivated and has the unpleasant synonym Euphorbia acrurensis, as well as a regularly misspelled form, Euphorbia acurensis.
The reason this is so awful is because there is a far more regularly sold Euphorbia in the nursery trade that goes by the same name but looks nothing like Euphorbia abyssinica.
That incredibly thin, flattened, 3–4-sided species, as far as I know, is undescribed in the literature, yet it continues to cause continuous doubt over what the ‘real’ Euphorbia abyssinica is.
How Do You Divide Euphorbia Abyssinica?
Euphorbia abyssinica can be divided easily and is great for growing from cuttings. Divide Euphorbia abyssinica when it becomes crowded or overgrown. Cut the plant into pieces with a sharp, sterile knife.
Make sure that each section has at least one healthy, non-carnivorous crown (i.e., a crown that does not have any red bumps or holes). Let the cuttings dry for about two weeks before planting them in soil; this will help prevent root rot.
Euphorbia abyssinica makes an ideal houseplant for the enthusiast. It is easy to care for and can be divided easily by cutting the roots at the soil line. Be sure to cut all roots, so the plant will re-root quickly. The Euphorbia produces a quantity of stem cuttings that can also be used in landscaping.
How Do You Water Euphorbia Abyssinica?
When properly cared for, Euphorbia Abyssinica ‘Desert Candle’ can be quite lovely. This succulent species, like the others, requires regular watering.
The watering procedure is critical to the health of your Desert Candle. It should not sit in the water, and excess water should be avoided. This succulent responds best to the soak and dry method of watering. However, to avoid overwatering, the succulent should be kept under control.
How Do You Fertilize Euphorbia Abyssinica?
Fertilization: In the summer, a balanced fertilizer diet is required. Use a cactus and succulent fertilizer with a high potassium content that includes all micronutrients and trace elements, preferably a slow-release fertilizer.
Rainwater or tap water that has been sitting in the watering can for at least an hour should be used to irrigate the soil surrounding the euphorbia.
Before the shoots develop, apply a balanced fertilizer to the soil (10-10-10 or 8-8-8). For every 100 square feet, apply 1 to 2 pounds of fertilizer.
During the growing season, continue to apply fertilizer once or twice a week. Allow no fertilizer to get into contact with the euphorbia’s foliage.
What Is The History Of Euphorbia Abyssinica?
Johann Friedrich Gmelin described Euphorbia abyssinica as a species in 1791. Gmelin was referring to an artwork in James Bruce’s book, which was initially published in 1790.
Carl Ludwig Willdenow included the plant in the same image as the variation kolquall of Euphorbia officinarum in his 1799 revision of Carl Linnaeus’ Species Plantarum.
Bruce describes the “eyes” on the sides as having “five thorns,” a trait Gmelin considered unusual. However, as noticed by N. E. Brown in 1912, the illustration depicts paired thorns.
How Much Light Does Euphorbia Abyssinica Need?
Succulents like Euphorbia Abyssinica ‘Desert Candle’ require a lot of light. Make sure to give this succulent plenty of sunlight when growing it in a garden. It grows well in full to partial sunlight. It is preferable to grow outside rather than within.
