Euphorbia seguieriana
RHS Wisley Gardens near Ripley in Surrey.
Euphorbia is a very large and diverse genus of flowering plants, commonly called spurge, in the family Euphorbiaceae.
Euphorbias range from tiny annual plants to large and long-lived trees. The genus also includes numerous succulent species (some of which resemble cacti) as well as the famous Poinsettia.
Euphorbia all share the feature of having a poisonous, latex-like sap and unique floral structures. When viewed as a whole, the head of flowers looks like a single flower (a pseudanthium). It has a unique kind of pseudanthium, called a cyathium, where each flower in the head is reduced to its barest essential part needed for sexual reproduction. The individual flowers are either male or female, with the male flowers reduced to only the stamen, and the females to the pistil. These flowers have no sepals, petals, or other parts that are typical of flowers in other kinds of plants. Structures supporting the flower head and other structures underneath have evolved to attract pollinators with nectar, and with shapes and colours that function in a way petals and other flower parts do in other flowers.
The native range of Euphorbia seguieriana is from Europe to China and Pakistan.
Euphorbia seguieriana
RHS Wisley Gardens near Ripley in Surrey.
Euphorbia is a very large and diverse genus of flowering plants, commonly called spurge, in the family Euphorbiaceae.
Euphorbias range from tiny annual plants to large and long-lived trees. The genus also includes numerous succulent species (some of which resemble cacti) as well as the famous Poinsettia.
Euphorbia all share the feature of having a poisonous, latex-like sap and unique floral structures. When viewed as a whole, the head of flowers looks like a single flower (a pseudanthium). It has a unique kind of pseudanthium, called a cyathium, where each flower in the head is reduced to its barest essential part needed for sexual reproduction. The individual flowers are either male or female, with the male flowers reduced to only the stamen, and the females to the pistil. These flowers have no sepals, petals, or other parts that are typical of flowers in other kinds of plants. Structures supporting the flower head and other structures underneath have evolved to attract pollinators with nectar, and with shapes and colours that function in a way petals and other flower parts do in other flowers.
The native range of Euphorbia seguieriana is from Europe to China and Pakistan.