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Devil’s
Backbone,
Zigzag
Plant,
Slipper-Flower,
Redbird
Flower
Euphorbia tithymaloides
L.
ped-ah-LAN-thus
tith-eh-mah-LOI-dees
Euphorbiaceae
Explanation
of name:
Generic name said by DEH to honor Euphorbus, Physician to Juba, King of
Mauritania.). Tithymalus is an ancient name for a related species.
Synonymy:
Pedilanthus tithymaloides (L.) Poit.
(Re)merged into the genus
Euphorbia by Steinmann, Acta Bot. Mex. 65: 45-50. 2003.
Natural
range:
Florida to South America (BA1)
Recognition:
Milk-bearing, slightly succulent shrub with distinctive zigzag stem. ‘Nana
Compacta’ is a dwarf cultivar. Flowers (colorful bracts) red, slipper-shaped.
Sometimes variegated.
Landscape
uses:
Small, tough, sun-loving shrub used for clumps, masses, and hedges (not well).
Irritating and toxic (BR1).
|
Botanical |
English |
FL native |
Growth form
|
Flowering season
|
Typical dimensions
|
Suggested spacing |
Cultural conditions
|
Problems |
|
Euphorbia
tithymaloides |
Slipper-Flower
Zigzag Plant
Devil’s Backbone |
Native
|
Shrub |
|
6’
(BA1) |
3’ (PBCC) |
SU-PS
DT
AT
(PBCC) |
Toxic
Irritant (BR1)
Milky Sap
Irregular Growth Pattern |
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