Re: striking Euphorbia rigida cuttings?

Hi Joe -

The garden owner said she purchased it at a nearby nursery (Berkeley
Horticultural) as E. rigida.  That is not conclusive proof that it is, or that
it is not a hybrid with another.  I've spent a far amount of time looking at
this guy (because of my interest) and it fairly looks representative of that
species.  I have seen some hybrids of E. rigida & the closely related E.
myrsinites (Besty Clebsch has some nice seedling volunteers in her garden),
which look more of less intermediate between these two in height and laxness
of the stems.  This plant seems like it might be expressing a certain amount
of laxness that many E. rigida specimens, so it might be a possible hybrid of
that type.  Without having seen the batch of plants being offered by the
nursery (in 4in pots apparently), I can assess if the other bore any
resemblance to this plant or is they were a collection of 'variations on a
theme'.

I know of a few Euphorbia species that I can imagine might have been involved,
but these are not generally in our area - but then who knowns where the seed
for these plants might have originated!

Thanks everyone for your assurances - I will certainly make every effort I can
to propagate either this clone or its progeny.

Seán A. O'Hara
sean(at)gimcw.org
www.hortulusaptus.com
(ask about mediterranean climate gardening forum)

> Sean:
>
>   Are we assuming this is an aberrant E. rigida because it was purchased as
> such or because it is among others of that species or because it was a
> seedling volunteer of that species that was already growing there?
>
>   Is it not possible that this is another species of Euphorbia?  I know of
> some others that look roughly like E. rigida but have tigher foliage and
> such.
>
>   Joe
>
> Jan Smithen <jsmithen@verizon.net> wrote:
>   I agree with Moira that in order to get the same plant
> characteristics, you should take cuttings.
>
> Euphorbia rigida is now making small basal growth while it's
> blooming, so this is what I would do. Using a small sharp knife like
> an Exacto, sever away one or two of the smallest ones trying to take
> some of crown with them. This is where most of the plant auxins are
> concentrated and gives you a better chance of rooting. Dry it out in
> shade for a day or so. Be sure not to bury this crown portion too
> deep in the rooting medium. Just press it in firmly and you may have
> to prop it up with skewers or something.
>
> Good luck and let us know what happens.
> Jan Smithen
>
>
> On Feb 12, 2008, at 11:35 AM, Sean A. O'Hara wrote:
>
>> Hi folks -
>>
>> In my neighborhood, there is a plant of Euphorbia rigida that is
>> really unusual:
>> http://www.flickr.com/photos/hortulus_aptus/2213493392/in/pool-
>> medit-garden
>> The leaves are very lightly packed and arranged in a spiral
>> fashion, some
>> growing one way, some another. The owner has agreed that I could
>> take some
>> cuttings, but I can't recall striking cuttings from this type of
>> Euphorbia
>> before. Is there something special you need to do with latex
>> sapped plants
>> such as this? Does anyone have experience rooting cuttings from
>> this species?
>> Would layering be better? (or would it even work?). As you can
>> see, the
>> plant is coming into flower, so I may have a chance at obtaining
>> some seeds
>> (which may or may not come true). Before I impose upon this person's
>> generosity, I thought I'd try and maximize my success.
>>
>> Seán A. O'Hara
>> sean(at)gimcw.org
>> www.hortulusaptus.com
>> (ask about mediterranean climate gardening forum)
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index