Thursday, 24 January 2013

FFF62 - CROWN OF THORNS

Euphorbia milii (crown of thorns, Christ plant, Christ thorn) is a species of flowering plant in the spurge family Euphorbiaceae, a native of Madagascar. The species name commemorates Baron Milius, once Governor of Réunion, who introduced the species to France in 1821. It is suspected that the species was introduced to the Middle East in ancient times, and legend associates it with the crown of thorns of Christ.

It is a succulent climbing shrub growing to 1.8 m tall, with densely spiny stems, the straight, slender spines up to 3 cm long, which help it scramble over other plants. The leaves are found mainly on new growth, and are obovate, up to 3.5 cm long and 1.5 cm broad. The flowers are small, subtended by a pair of conspicuous petal-like bracts, variably red, pink or white, up to 12 mm broad. The sap is moderately poisonous. Wat Phrik in Thailand claims to be the home of the world's tallest Christ plant.

Join me for Floral Friday Fotos by linking your flower photos below, and please leave a comment once you have done so!
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12 comments:

  1. Lois Evensen24 January 2013 at 06:22

    Lovely color and image. We don't have much blooming up here now, but I enjoy seeing images of lovely flowers elsewhere.

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  2. Birgitta24 January 2013 at 07:37

    Such a beautiful red flower! Great photo!

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  3. Zauberpalme24 January 2013 at 08:17

    This is such a wonderful shot. I love the strong red color! Have a wonderful time.

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  4. Linda24 January 2013 at 10:58

    What a beautiful blossom! I have missed seeing your flower photos! Hope you are well...

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  5. Andrea24 January 2013 at 16:54

    We have a few varieties of this Euphorbia milii, but those so many thorns at the top is not really very prominent, although the stem is really full of them. That crown of thorns reminds me of the sea urchin in our seas.

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  6. Liz24 January 2013 at 23:01

    Love the deep red color of your Euphorbias.

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  7. Anonymous25 January 2013 at 02:19

    Great picture and information like always!!
    Thank you,
    Gisela

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  8. Anonymous25 January 2013 at 02:44

    I love this little blossoms, lovely red and a wonderful composition!
    Wish you a nice weekend,
    moni

    Please visit me on my blog:
    http://www.reflexionblog.de

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  9. vincibene25 January 2013 at 06:14

    So lovely!

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  10. Eclectic Red Barn25 January 2013 at 11:30

    Love the flowers on this plant. It is a popular plant here in southern Florida. Thanks for hosting such a great flower party.

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  11. SquirrelQueen26 January 2013 at 01:39

    Beautiful!

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  12. Unknown26 January 2013 at 08:28

    Beautiful! We have these as small potted plants.

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