I've been given a beautiful tree by a friend who found his apartment didn't have the proper living conditions. It began to die on him, so I've taken it hoping I have the proper conditions. Unfortunately, he doesn't remember the name of it and I've tried to find it online. The only thing I come up with that looks remotely like it is called the "euphorbia tirucalli", but I can't seem to find it in a tree. It is shown in plants that look similar to the leaves, but not quite the same. I was told it is a succulent by one person and a pine by another. I've included three pics to help see the shape and detail of the tree, it's leaves and it's trunk. Can anyone tell me the name/s of it and where I might find information on proper care and maintenance for it? Thank you, Mark
Welcome to the Forum, Mark! You have an impressive tree. Wow! How old is it?---and how did you move it? Has it ever bloomed? Leaves look like Rhipsalis...but I have never seen one grow to this hugeness.
It looks like Euphorbia tirucalli to me . There are some tree forms here : http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/53909/
Thank you all for your quick responses. Thank you, I'm a novice so far, but hope to be better with my plants. I figured it might be that, but didn't notice the similarities in the trunk especially, which is why I needed confirmation. So, to answer your questions togata57... 1st answer is: I had a friend help me bring it in, but it wasn't too easy. It's quite heavy and I understand it's lost some of it's leaves since it was first purchased two years ago. I can only imagine how much it must have weighed? 2nd: I'm not sure how old it is, but I'll have to ask now that you bring it up. I'm now curious myself. 3rd: I don't believe it's ever bloomed, but I'm hoping to see that happen once I've figured out how to care for it. Thank you each for your input. I'll look into it. Mark
If you do any pruning or break any shoots accidentally, watch out for the white latex sap - it can cause serious skin burns. Handle with care.
If you do get flowers, please post them. I've had E. tirucalli in-ground for about 4 years and have yet to see anything resembling flowers.... Then again, with Euphorbs it's often quite subtle, and I don't like to get too close to this plant for the reason mentioned by Michael F - the sap is incredibly caustic.
