Image from Wikimedia / H. Zell
La Euphorbia candelabrum It is a very beautiful succulent plant, but due to its large size it is not a very good option to grow in a pot ... although it is not impossible 😉.
And it is that in addition to being very easy to care for, it also multiplies well by cuttings, so if you love arborescent Euphorbias don't stop reading.
How is it?
Euphorbia candelabrum is the scientific name of a crass tree endemic to the Horn of Africa and eastern Africa, in the Great Rift Valley which was described by Trémaux ex Kotschy and published in Mitteilunger der Geographischen Gesellschaft in 1857.
It is characterized by reach a height of 12 to 20 meters, with a simple trunk of about 90cm in diameter, highly branched. The branches reach up to 3 meters in length and form a wide and rounded crown. The flowers are yellowish in color and bloom in spring.
Like the rest of the species of the genus, it is a toxic plant. The sap it contains can cause itching and irritation.
What care do you need?
To be alright requires sunny exposure and a substrate (or soil, if it is to be kept in the garden) with very good drainage. In fact, the ideal is that it is composed of coarse-grained sand, such as the pumice for example that you can buy here. In the case of having a very compact soil, I advise to make a large planting hole, about 50cm x 50cm and mix it with perlite (which you can get here) in equal parts.
If we talk about irrigation, it is important not to over water. The Euphorbia candelabrum it resists drought well, so one or two irrigations a week in midsummer and a few less the rest of the year will be more than enough to keep you hydrated.
Image from Wikimedia / Cayambe
For the rest, you have to know that he does not like the cold very much, but it resists well the mild and occasional frosts of up to -2ºC. And if you need more specimens, cut a branch in spring, let it dry for a week in semi-shade ... and plant it later. In a few days it will emit its own roots! This is interesting, don't you think?