Euphorbia horrida

Euphorbia horrida is an erect, cylindrical cactus native to the Cape Province in South Africa. In its natural habitat, it can reach a height of around thirty centimetres and a diameter of forty centimetres; in cultivation, specimens tend to grow to slightly smaller sizes. Its fleshy stem stores water reserves to cope with drought conditions.

The cactus is green, blue-green or silvery in colour, with very pronounced, vertically growing, prominent ribs that are often undulating; they usually have brown spines at the tips of the ribs, whilst some varieties have red spines that darken as they mature. The plant produces small offshoots at its base, spreading of its own accord. It flowers in summer; the flowers are small and yellow or green, although there are also hybrid plants with red or pink flowers. Young plants do not flower until they reach maturity.

In the wild, it can thrive in full sun, but when grown in cultivation it benefits from partial shade, particularly at midday. It requires a well-drained growing medium; when grown in cultivation, we use a special cactus compost containing sand and aggregates of various sizes to ensure excellent drainage.