Euphorbia characias - bushy euphorbia (Square vase 7x7x10 cm)

Very diverse genus of about 2000 species of annuals, biennials, evergreen, semi-persistent or herbaceous perennials, suffrutics, deciduous or evergreen shrubs and trees, succulents, widely present in a variety of habitats in temperate, subtropical and tropical regions. Euphorbia characias is a perennial, bushy shrub up to 120-150 cm tall, with numerous little branched herbaceous branches that are woody only in the basal part, reddish at the bottom, green at the top. Entire pubescent, greyish, linear or oblanceolate leaves united in tufts at the tips, up to 9 cm long, bluish-green in color with a lighter central vein. Abundant and colorful flowering of a beautiful yellow-green in early spring. The fruits are small trilocular capsules of 5-7 mm which burst when ripe. The seeds are silvery-grey ovoid, larger than 2 mm. Interesting is the system adopted by this and other euphorbias for seed dispersal, forming a mutualistic pact with some species of ants which, after having transported the seeds to their anthill, consume a small appendage containing lipids (elaiosome), and therefore they transport far from their burrows, to places often suitable for germination. In this way these plants are able to develop in places even hundreds of meters away from the mother plant.

Pedoclimatic needs

It grows in scrub, garrigue, uncultivated and open, arid and sunny land up to 1000 m and therefore it should be planted in loose soil without stagnation. Being very resistant to drought, it is ideal for decorating gardens and flowerbeds without water. Very rustic species, it tolerates frosts down to -18°/-20°C.

Botanical Information

Botanical Name: Euphorbia characias

Family: Euphorbiaceae