Euphorbia esculenta

Serpents rising



Full size photo here

Cool banner Baja!

Great banner, Baja.
Thanks for posting the whole image, too.
I like the way it grows, e.g. the fractal-like symmetry
on the "leaves" (what do you call the little details?)
Maybe it's an example of this?

Fibonacci numbers also appear in plants and flowers. Many plants show the Fibonacci numbers in the arrangement of their leaves around the stem.

Great banner and picture, Baja! I really like the texture of this plant and the blush color.

The blush is because that side faces south and all the light comes from the south in the winter.

EscondidoCal said:I like the way it grows, e.g. the fractal-like symmetry
on the "leaves" (what do you call the little details?)
Maybe it's an example of this?

The little bumps are tubercles, and each one had a vestigial leaf on it very early in life (long since gone). The leaf scars are visible as white spots in the photo. Each "serpent" in the photo is a stem, and they all arise with radial symmetry from a central stem.



In the parlance of medusas (imagining a Gorgon figure) the central stem is usually called the "head" and the radiating stems are called "arms". There are head crests and arm crests (separate things, which look very different) in this group.

I'm not sure if fractals are involved but it is a fascinating subject (and the flowers smell great). One would think there might be Fibonacci numbers involved (2,3,5,8,13,21, etc.) as they are with certain cacti, but I count 16 rows in the head (not a Fibonacci number).

Lovely banner Baja!

The plant provided a stunning banner, but I especially appreciated the additional information provided.

An acorn for the interesting info and neat photo!

@BajaCostero,

after you posted a similar banner (last year?) of another
(or same?) medusa, I found one on Etsy.
It's not as pretty as your current banner, and
got a bit beat up from a bad hail storm last month,
but appears to still be OK, and will heal.

Looks like a good sized plant.

It's 10" in diameter. Do they get bigger?

Do they like deep or shallow soil?
I just have it in a 1 gal plastic pot now, but
wanted to put it in a bonsai pot.
Water it like any succulent or less?

I had a strap plant like your avatar but
it must have gotten too much water,
and didn't make it, and it was in the ground.

Mine occupy a 12" pot at full size (compact given lots of sun), around the time they start to offset. I use pots that are wider than deep but I would avoid bonsai pots because they are too shallow, and the plant has a tap root. I water like a succulent.

Thanks. I'll look for a deep bonsai pot. :smily:
I've seen them at a local nursery.....square, but not plain,
dull brown glaze with feet.
But depends on the price.
I'll keep it in plastic if necessary.

For comparison, here is my largest plant (12" pot/10" deep) from above and from the side (after harvesting at least 20 offsets this season). I have tried small(ish) pots (like 6-8") and the plant does okay, but it gets frustrated after a while, tends to have a short lifespan, never reaches anywhere near its full potential size, does not offset like this.



As with many succulents, lots of people underpot them unknowingly and end up with plants they can be perfectly satisfied with, but a bit of extra space will get you a crazy profusion of arms and new heads, and a pretty spectacular show in bloom.

WOW! Great plant, Baja!
I will definitely keep all that in mind
when shopping for "The" pot.