Euphorbia
The humble Euphorbia. A powerhouse of a plant, happy to bake in the sun without water for long stretches of time and still give you flowers and new growth. This magical genus is filled with thousands of members, from spiny and succulent adjacent to leafy and shrublike, with many variations along the way.
There are just over 2,000 species of Euphorbia out there, and Euphorbia is just one part of the larger Euphorbiacae family, which contains 6,745 species and roughly 300 genera. It’s such a big genus, you can see why many researchers have tried and failed to categorize them! But usually they're loosely categorized into two main types- the succulent-like plants that often grow in hot, arid places like Africa, and the more leafy, delicate and sometimes weedy plants that are more common in Asia, and also commonly found growing wild all over the earth.
The botanical name “Euphorbia” originates from Euphorbos, the Greek physician of King Juba II. Juba was an avid writer of natural history, and wrote of a cactus-like plant that had a certain laxative effect. Juba named this plant after his physician. Now I don’t know about you guys, but I wouldn’t love being named after a plant that has that effect! To each their own though, it was a different time, I guess. The entire genus was later named Euphorbia in his honour.
The common name, spurge, comes from the old French word espurge ("to purge") because of the plant's sap’s ability to purge the body of parasites and stomach irritants.
Outdoors, Euphorbia thrive in hot, sunny climates, which make them a perfect candidate for that sunny area of your garden that has poor, dry soil. They’re also perfect for creating that rockery vibe that’s so popular at the moment. We recommend planting the more fleshy types for a garden, like Euphorbia martinii or Euphorbia ‘Snow Tops’.
These beautiful plants can also be grown indoors, as long as you have plenty of direct sunlight going on. They love a hot, sunny room, but although they are drought tolerant, make sure they do get watered when the soil is completely dry, as without much air flow they can pick up mealy bugs or scale. Don’t let them go months without water! For indoors, we love the more structural Euphorbia to really make a statement, like Euphorbia neriifolia or Euphorbia kamponii.
Euphorbia also have a long, LONG list of medicinal uses across the world from Asia to Africa to the Americas, many of them used in ancient times. In the Philippines, tea made from Euphorbia hirta is a popular treatment for dengue fever and asthma. It’s used in a similar way by Native Americans. In east Africa, a powder is made from Euphorbia inaequilatera (or milkweed) and used to treat wounds. The list goes on, used to treat styes, digestive problems, skin cancers, snake bites, UTI’s, parasites, infections, and more. We don’t necessarily recommend you try these at home remedies, but all the same it’s incredible to see the plant’s long history in medicinal use.
All that to say, the world of Euphorbia is wonderfully vast, from sculptural show-stoppers to soft, leafy fillers, and there’s truly a form for every space and style. Whether you’re looking to anchor a blazing hot garden bed, soften a rocky corner, or add bold architectural drama indoors, Euphorbia delivers. Add to that its fascinating history, ancient medicinal uses across cultures, and its sheer adaptability, it’s pretty obvious why this genus has captivated growers for centuries. Hardy, diverse, and endlessly interesting, Euphorbia gives us low-maintenance coupled with high-impact; gorgeous foliage and shapely forms, perfect for any garden or home.
