Synonyms:

Euphorbia discreta
Euphorbia ernestii
Euphorbia franksiae
Euphorbia gatbergensis
Euphorbia passa
Euphorbia woodii

Habitat:

E. flanaganii is native to Cape Provinces in South Africa and KwaZulu-Natal.

Description:

E. flanaganii is a small succulent of the Euphorbiacee botanical family. The plant has a cylindrical stem that bears branches. Bright green branches are snake-shape, flat and prostrate. The succulent can reach 40 cm in diameter and branches are dense and bearing small greenish acute leaves at the apex. During the summer the plant blooms in the central part at the apex of the stem and forms cluster of yellow ciathya. Ciathya are the typical inflorescence of the Euphorbia, it is an inflorescence consisting of a cuplike cluster of modified leaves enclosing unisexual flowers.

Cultivation:

This is a slow growing succulent but quite easy to cultivate. For this succulent the best sun-exposure is light shade, and the plant does not like temperatures below 10 °C so it needed to be placed indoors. The soil should be mixed with pumice, clay and loam to allow the drainage and prevent the root rot, the plant is prone to it indeed. Remember to use perforating pot to drain excess water. Watering can be done regularly from March to November: during the vegetative period you can water the plant (every 7 days), checking that the soil is completely dry before watering again; in winter you should stop the watering to allow to the plant to enter dormancy. If you want a very fast and lush growth you can fertilize the plant once a month during the growing season with the specifics fertilizers for cacti; stop fertilizing throughout the winter. The pot should be quite large and deep because the root is large and tuberose. If the pot starts to be too small for the plant you can repot the plant in a pot 2 cm wider. Repotting should be done early in the growing season with fresh new potting soil. Handle the plant carefully and wear gloves because the latex it exudes is toxic.

Propagation:

Propagation can be done by cutting: this plant when ripe forms offsets on older arm’s ends. Offsets develop and then swell, fall and roll off the mother plant; offsets fallen form new roots and thus new plant are born.

Curiosity:

Species of the Euphorbiacee family normally if are damaged, exude a white milky sap, called latex. Many plants produce latex, but in the Euphorbiacee this latex is often poisonous and may irritate skin. The poisonousness is due to some alkaloids so it is best to keep the plants away from children or pets.