Euphorbia Species, Slipper Plant, Candelilla

A thornless architectural plant superficially resembling an ocotillo. Upright growing to 5 feet tall, sometimes more. Deciduous, succulen...Read Moret.

Showy red bracts hold on branch tips over a long season, from spring through summer.

Very easy and adaptable. Very drought tolerant, but also adapts well to ordinary garden situations with good drainage. Best in lean soil with little organic matter. Does well in full sun in Phoenix.

A great plant for pots.

Easy to propagate by cuttings in spring or summer.

I have not grown this plant which is native to Mexico. It has been reclassified as Euphorbia bracteata. Slipper plant tends to grow on ...Read Moreflat or slightly rolling land and at the edges of dry deciduous woodlands at a wide range of elevations. The branches grow from the base, are succulent, are covered with fine hairs and have few leaves. The leaves are ovate to longish ovate, have a thick midvein on the underside and have almost no leaf stem.

Pedilanthus bracteatus (Euphorbia bracteata) produces abundant cyathia. They are reddish and have reddish-colored bracts. The one female flower and several male flowers (unisexual) are much reduced and found grouped inside each cyathium. The naked stamen is the male part and the naked pistil which is found in the center of each cyathium is the female part. It is believed that the flower is pollinated by hummingbirds and insects. The fruit is a capsule.

Although several other species of slipper plant are endangered in Mexico, this one is currently secure.