This is an interesting plant .... a cactus yet not a cactus. Read this link for the explanation - http://www.krkosska.com/houseplants/pages/Euphorbia-lactea-crest-1.htmlI 'saved' this plant. It had been abandoned by its previous owner. However it was able to survive despite after almost a year on its own. Similar to the cactus it is able to survive with minimum water. Rain water is okay as long as the pot medium does not retain water as the roots will be sensitive to excess water. The pot for this plant was broken since the roots somehow managed to break through and the plant had toppled over lying on one side. It had grown too heavy on one side so I cut some parts off to allow the plant to stand upright again. I hope the plant will not suffer from these cuts....touch wood. I had make sure I used a clean and dry sharp knife.
If one look closely at this plant, it is interesting to note that some parts forms ridges or crests. I checked around the internet just to make sure I get the right name for the plant, but it can get a bit confusing as there are many of these grafted plants. These plants are grafted to get a nice single crest that is like a frilly fan. Yet there are parts of this plant that are smooth. Perhaps it had been grafted before....or the plant is just natural this way. Well since I 'saved' it a few days back, I am now monitoring it closely. Some parts were damaged when I placed it in a paper bag as the thorns are rather sharp, but they seemed alright now. When the part was damaged, it produced a white milky sap which I understand is toxic. I have placed this plant near my mini waterlily ponds as these days the cats in the neighborhood has started coming to drink the water and also perhaps to feast on the guppies I have in the pond.....I am hoping the thorns from this plant will deter the cats.....!
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