Crown of Thorns makes good ornamental or house plant

Published 12:01 pm Thursday, April 13, 2017

ANNE PATULLO/COURTESY The Crown of Thorns, or Euphorbia milii, is a native of Madagascar.

The Crown of Thorns plant, Euphorbia milii, is a native of Madagascar, an island country in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa. It is amazing that the Crown of Thorns is popular in our country, since Madagascar is a hotspot where more than 80 percent of its plants and animal species are found nowhere else in the world.

Crown of Thorns can be grown as a house plant or an ornamental shrub in warm climates.



It is also known as the Christ plant. Legend has it that the thorn crown worn by Jesus Christ on the cross was thought to have been made from the Crown of Thorns plant. There is evidence that this plant had been brought to the Middle East before the time of Christ, and the stems are flexible enough to weave into a circle, but it is more likely that another plant was used as his crown.

This low-growing evergreen succulent shrub has very thorny, grooved stems and branches. On the top of each of the long stems is a cluster of small beautiful flowers – pink, yellow, red and white. It is capable of blooming almost year-around. The plant is a spurge and is in the same family as the poinsettia. Although it is a perennial, it must be brought inside in the winter. It is suggested you wear gloves when handling this thorny plant especially when securing cuttings for propagation.

When propagating, take three or four cuttings and set them aside for four days. The cut stems will excrete a milky substance, so the cut ends must dry and callous over before potting. Insert each cutting in a pot of sterile, sandy potting soil. Water the cuttings sparingly for two weeks. It will take about four weeks for them to propagate.

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A caution; the Crown of Thorns is highly toxic to animals.