Northland
Russell Fransham on crown of thorns
In my Northland garden the warmest winter on record has meant that growth never stopped for most of my plants
As I write it is the start of August and we are pulling leaves off last summer’s apples and pears before the new ones start. The heliconias are still flowering and bananas ripened through the so-called dead of winter. Very welcome – but a little unnerving. The crown of thorns plants ( Euphorbia
milii) in the rockery have had a wonderful year too, flowering right through the winter. I rather enjoy these extraordinary euphorbias and their pugilistic approach to life. Weeding around them is a blood sport aided and abetted by the semi-scrambling habit of some varieties. On the plus side, they are a great possum deterrent around the base of a lemon tree!
Euphorbia milii is native to Madagascar, where its mildly toxic white sap and vicious spines keep the lemurs from eating it. In the wild this species is highly variable, enabling it to adapt to different habitats. In the past few decades this trait has seen some striking new cultivars being created by European and Thai plant breeders. Some varieties can reach 1.5m high; others are prostrate or chunky little bushes, with brilliant flowers sparkling above the nasty spines. In fact, the flowers are tiny, unadorned protuberances surrounded by two big, flashy bracts. Poinsettias are another example of this outsourcing of the advertising duties to the leaves, allowing the insignificant real flowers to get down to business.
Arabian seafaring traders in Roman times are credited with bringing the crown of thorns plant from Madagascar to the Middle East, from where it spread throughout the Mediterranean. It is thought to have been used by the Roman colonists to torture and humiliate prisoners. The spiny succulent stems are flexible so they can be woven into a circle to create the crown of thorns referred to in the Bible. It was also taken to India, where it became established in Kerala around the same time.
Over the past century Euphorbia
milii have become very popular in South-east Asia.
Notably, it produces eight flowers on each panicle, and Chinese immigrants to Thailand refer to it as Poysean – the eight saints of Chinese mythology who represent the forces of health, bravery, riches, art, beauty, intelligence, poetry and the ability to conquer evil. Anyone who has travelled in tropical Asia may have seen a potted poysean on fishing, freight and passenger boats in order to attract good fortune.
During the 1990s, a very large-flowered mutation of these plants appeared and was seized upon by Thai plant breeders, who developed a range of very showy, compact cultivars in shades of orange, pink, white, red and yellow as well as bicolours. These days the flowers can be as small as 1cm or as big as 7cm across. Being semi-succulent, they can withstand extreme drought so are a very reliable pot plant and also grow beautifully in cracks between rocks. They are frost-tender so need some protection in colder areas, will tolerate shading by larger plants and also live comfortably as indoor plants.
Propagation is by cuttings that have been dried for a few days then pushed into damp sand in a warm spot. They grow readily from seed too, so you can have fun cross-pollinating different types to see what comes up. The new seedlings start flowering within a few months and seldom pause after that.
Like any landlord I need my garden tenants to pay their rent every month. (I do have a couple of roses but they’re old friends of the family.) My euphorbias pay their dues, bringing colour and attitude into the garden all year long. If I ignore them for too long they bite me when I come to apologise. I think everyone needs a bit of that to keep them dancing when times are tough.