Hello! I've just joined as of yesterday, and my original intent was to have one of my new house plants identified. I'm not at all afraid of research, and my dedication to said research paid off. I now know that I have an Euphorbia decaryi! I was so worried that it wasn't a happy/healthy plant, and my honest thought is that I can take much better care of it if I know exactly what it is that I am dealing with. :) It turns out that my little 'tree' is quite healthy, and also very happy... My newest concern is now that I own a plant that is listed as 'Endangered' on the IUCN's red list. I saw in another post here that ARKive wants photos of some of the plants listed on the IUCN's list. What should I do? I would be more than happy to take photos of it, and submit them to ARKive - I just worry about legalities surrounding owning something endangered. ??? Does any one here have any helpful advice for me - or tips/tricks to keep the Euphorbia decaryi happy? The last thing I would want would be to send it to an early grave. If anyone has anything to offer, it would be much appreciated. Thank you!!!! -Bee
Welcome HoneyBee. Euphorbia decaryi grows naturally in the wild in Madagascar. Here it is probably very rare, as the habitat that it grows in is being lost. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphorbia_decaryi http://images.google.co.uk/images?q...GB&redir_esc=&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wi http://www.cactus-art.biz/schede/EUPHORBIA/Euphorbia_decaryi/Euphorbia_decaryi/Euphorbia_decaryi.htm What better way to ensure the survival of rare, endangered plants than to give seed to Botanic gardens. Eventually these can be shared with specialist growers and collectors until eventually they reach the nursery trade, where often they are increased by the 1000 by micropropagation/ tissue culture. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micropropagation Until eventually Mr and Mrs Public can go to a garden centre to buy one. The more plants of an endangered plant in the world, the less chance it will have of dying our completely. If the worst happens, they can always then be reintroduced back into the wild. What should be very carefully monitered, is that the only seeds collected from rare/endangered plants are with the full permission/ permits/ paperwork of the country they grow in. Which is why no one should dig up plants from the wild..... it might be a rarity. I suspect the photos that are requested are for the wild grown specimens, taken insitu. So relax, enjoy your Euphorbia. Different countries around the world are all doing their bit to save plants for future generations. In the UK it is the Kew Millenium Seed Bank. http://www.kew.org/science-conservation/conservation-climate-change/millennium-seed-bank/ Read about Svalbard Global Seed Vault. http://www.croptrust.org/main/arctic.php?itemid=211
Thank you so much for letting me know - I really appreciate the info - and all of the links. It is such a neat little plant. It had my local green house stumped (hence hours of me researching!). It is such a treat to be able to ask the experts (you!). -Bee
