Library

A large underground stem sends above ground many short branches which, with their repeated branching, form a low mound to 30cm diameter. Easy to grow outdoors in good conditions.

3.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK in warm, well-drained position in mild areas.

S.African shrub eventually to 1.5m., with rounded bluish branches. (Theoretically, rhizomatous.) Bright yellow contrasting flowers produced occasionally. Prob. OK in mild gardens. Needs bright light.

3.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK in warm, well-drained position in mild areas.

Candelabriform medium-sized tree Euphorbia whose branches can be marvellously shaped, reminding of dragon tails or ace of spades. Brightest light for best form. Outdoors capability unknown.

4.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK only if protected from winter rain.

Madagascan miniature. Matforming plant with small cute flowers, increasing by branching and stolons. Suits a bowl presentation in a warm position, slightly shaded.

5.Indoors OK, Outdoors not OK.

Madagascan miniature. Matforming plant with small cute flowers, increasing by branching and stolons. Suits a bowl presentation in a warm position, slightly shaded.

5.Indoors OK, Outdoors not OK.

Tallest of the spiny Madagascan Euphorbias, to 2.5m ht. Complex spination bears close inspection. Flowers small, green in dense groups of up to 64. Untried outdoors; maybe OK if well drained & frost-free.

4.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK only if protected from winter rain.

Spiny, shrubby Euphorbia from South Africa to 1 meter high. Odd greenish-yellow flowers on the end of new spines at stem tips. Grow in bright light. Probably not suitable for outdoors.

4.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK only if protected from winter rain.

A tree Euphorbia from Madagascar. Ultimately to around 3 meters high with flattened branches, bright red and velvety on new growth. OK outdoors in well drained frost-free area in full sun.

3.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK in warm, well-drained position in mild areas.

Another of the southern Madagascan miniatures. Leaves come in many shapes, colors and mottled patterns, and remain during winter. The fat lower stem and rootstock is eminently raiseable for bonsai presentation.

4.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK only if protected from winter rain.

Forms mat of interconnected globular segments. Must have brightest light to keep segments from elongating. Interesting flowers need cleaning up when finished.

4.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK only if protected from winter rain.

Fiercely fascinating native of S.Africa & Mozambique. Huge spines, yellow flowers. To 2m. and well branched. Outdoors only in the very best warm sheltered position. Bright light for strength & shape.

3.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK in warm, well-drained position in mild areas.

Treelike in shape this South African can attain 15m height! Ascending branches hold numerous whorls of 3-sided, thin, prickled branchlets. Excellent slow landscaping specimen in good soil. Mild frosts OK.

2.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK, easy to grow.

Basally branching mini-shrub with attractively marbled stems. Grows to around 35cms high. Unusual pinkish flowers in spring with long, thin red stigma lobes. Grow indoors in bright sunny position without overheating the roots.

5.Indoors OK, Outdoors not OK.

Rosette of tortured spiralling arms atop a thick raiseable rootstock. Treat as an indoor bonsai subject. Coarser and fewer-branched than E. tortirama. Not difficult.

5.Indoors OK, Outdoors not OK.

Glaucous green stems with central body growing to 180mm diameter and a mound of numerous offsets forming at base. Possibly OK outdoors in mild welldrained areas.

4.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK only if protected from winter rain.

One of the medusa head euphorbias. This one has long thin branches and quite pretty white flowers produced in profusion in late summer.

4.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK only if protected from winter rain.

Poor Man’s Spiral Euphorbia. Forms clusters of short columns to 30cm which start spiralling after about10cm. Easy in cultivation, endangered in South Africa. For pot or rockery.

3.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK in warm, well-drained position in mild areas.

Recently discovered and critically endangered spineless species from Madagascar where it becomes a tree to 3 meters high with a dense crown of leafless velvety branches. Needs bright light. Worth trying outdoors.

2.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK, easy to grow.

Crested succulent capable of growing in a few years into a striking, medium-sized twisted oddity. Easy to grow in bright sunny position and also suitable for outdoors in a warm well-drained spot.

3.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK in warm, well-drained position in mild areas.

White variegated form of a crested succulent. Alabaster white twisted oddity. Often called 'Coral Cactus' which is odd considering that it is not a cactus, that it was derived from plants living wild about an Atlantic away from the nearest cactus, and that Monvillea spegazzini Crest had, with good reason, claimed the name a half century earlier. Easy to grow in bright sunny position and possibly suitable for outdoors in a warm well-drained spot.

4.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK only if protected from winter rain.

Madagascan Ribcage. Small tree (to 4m in Madagascar) with flat or round green or sometimes reddish branches, often shaped like a ribcage. Needs brightest light if indoors. Probably OK outdoors in mild areas.

3.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK in warm, well-drained position in mild areas.

Madagascan shrub to 70cm, sometimes with a few ascending branches. 5-sided bristle-edged stems. Prolific with its inconsequential flowers. Tender outdoors.

4.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK only if protected from winter rain.

Interesting medusa-type with a thickened root at ground level thickened again at the tubercled head, and short arms. Head to 9cm diam (plus the arms). Seems easy to grow in bright light.

5.Indoors OK, Outdoors not OK.

Excellent hybrid of Terry Sibley of Otara. Brownskinned beauty derived from E.bupleurifolia. Offsets freely in time. Suggest indoors only.

5.Indoors OK, Outdoors not OK.

A larger erect variant of the "Crown of Thorns". Has thicker stems to 1m+ ht, larger leaves, and bigger bunches of flowers on longer stems. Red flowers for much of the year. Easy bush, in garden.

3.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK in warm, well-drained position in mild areas.

Large pink flowers (3cm) in clusters on erect-growing small shrubs with leaves. Easy to grow. Outdoors OK in mild areas.

3.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK in warm, well-drained position in mild areas.

South Africa. Solitary globose stem to 10cm diameter, later extending into a column to 60cm in 40 years or so. Not difficult in a warm position in a pot.

5.Indoors OK, Outdoors not OK.

Rare freak that arose at Coromandel Cacti in about 2003. 7 years later it was separated from the mother plant.

5.Indoors OK, Outdoors not OK.

Small shrublike Euphorbia to just 2m ht, notable for the quite large leaves in close parallel ranks near the tips of the light, ascending branches. Untried outdoors in NZ, but probably cold-sensitive.

4.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK only if protected from winter rain.

Comments later, too busy right now!

4.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK only if protected from winter rain.

Yellow-green mottled much-branching low shrub to 1 metre height. Yellow flowers in autumn. Toxic latex is extremely irritating, wash if you make contact with the milky sap.

4.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK only if protected from winter rain.

Colourful hybrid forming a bush to 50 cms high with many stubby branches and an overall purplish hue. Grows well outdoors in a frost-free, well-drained, sunny position, or indoors in brightest light.

3.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK in warm, well-drained position in mild areas.

Outdoor shrub to 1.5m x 1.5m, with thick naked trunk and much-branched crown. Many clusters of yellow flowers in late winter. Looks at its best in winter. Easy & tolerant.

2.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK, easy to grow.

Mound-former from the Atlas Mountains, Morocco. By repeated and dense-packed branching becomes a mound to 60cm+ in diameter. In NZ seems tolerant of rockery situations in at least mild areas.

2.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK, easy to grow.

The white milky sap contained in all Euphorbia species can be very irritating, especially in the eyes and the smallest amount can trigger a painful experience. Remedy: do NOT flush with water, it makes the pain worse! Instead, use medicinal liquid paraffin to sluice the eye, and slowly it will wash away the irritating substance. (We do not mean the fuel known sometimes as paraffin = kerosene).

0.Empty

Small, square-stemmed, cereiform, succulent shrub from sizzling Brazil. Grows to 1 meter high with many branches. Flowers dark red and glossy. Best indoors in bright sunny spot. Untried outdoors but possibly OK in frost-free area

5.Indoors OK, Outdoors not OK.

Densely branched, lower branches probably later shedding. Branches 4-6 winged and constricted to spade shapes in strong light. Try outdoors only in very warmest position.

4.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK only if protected from winter rain.

A chance appearance at CC, this strong-growing thick chunky crest has a coral-like appearance. A plant for a pot, probably indoors.

4.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK only if protected from winter rain.

Short straplike chevroned branches radiate from a turnip-like root which, in cultivation, should be raised to achieve a greater sense of satisfaction and wellbeing in the proud owner.

4.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK only if protected from winter rain.

Clump-forming short columns distinguished by the persisting branched rays of the inflorescence which are star-like, unusual and attractive, pink when fresh. Bright light for tight growth, outdoors is possible in mild areas.

4.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK only if protected from winter rain.

A densely branched cushion plant from South Africa which forms very tight compact mounds. Easy to grow but can be susceptible to excess humidity. Keep a bit on the dry side to be safe.

4.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK only if protected from winter rain.

One of the best, and the biggest, Medusa Head type. Looks great when flowering in brilliant yellow and the old branches dehisc nicely leaving a fab pineconiform central stem. Outdoors OK in a good position in a mild area. Indoors, it needs to be in the brightest light imaginable.

2.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK, easy to grow.

Angolan Tree Euphorbia, in Angola to 10m height. 3-5 angled deep green branches radiate in whorls from a round trunk. Outdoor capability unknown as yet, but well worth trying in mild areas.

4.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK only if protected from winter rain.

A world first, this hybrid was first bred in 1997, and released in 2006. Stunning short whitish columns, later variably offsetting. No spines. A pot subject for bright light or try it in a warm garden sheltered from winter rains.

4.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK only if protected from winter rain.

African Milk Tree. Narrow shape and tolerant of low light, it suits house culture. Watch for thrips and red mite. Outdoors it sunburns and frosts easily, so ease it out gently.

3.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK in warm, well-drained position in mild areas.

One of the so-called 'Medusa Head Euphorbias', wherein branches radiate from a central caudex. Pot subject needing bright light for correct growth form.

4.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK only if protected from winter rain.

A variegated form of Euphorbia lactea, grows with the same habit but coloured mostly in stunning white. (Note: inexplicably called 'Grey Ghost' in NZ, but correctly known elsewhere as 'White Ghost').

4.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK only if protected from winter rain.

Pallid like it evolved in an ice cave on a Death Star. Needs brightest light to keep away its ancestral melancholy. Outdoors OK in warmest best-drained spot, (in some areas may require move to new house to find the right spot).

4.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK only if protected from winter rain.

Fascinatingly twisted like the fanciful green brain of an over-zealous environmentalist, this slowgrowing sport needs bright light in an indoors situation, and kept a bit drier in winter.

5.Indoors OK, Outdoors not OK.

Easy to grow, freely offsetting Mesem with relatively few soft teeth on white bordered leaves. Lots of large yellow flowers during autumn/winter. Full sun, indoors or outdoors with good drainage.

3.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK in warm, well-drained position in mild areas.

Alamos Barrel Cactus. Grey-green, to about 30cm diameter, becoming columnar in time. Needs little water, esp. when cooler. Bright light indoors, or if outdoors only in best sheltered position e.g. under eaves.

4.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK only if protected from winter rain.

Another species of barrel cactus.

4.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK only if protected from winter rain.

Yellow spined barrel cactus from Mexico. Slowly grows to 50cm diameter and up to 1meter high. Yellow 4cm flowers produced throughout summer. Indoors only brght well ventilated position.

4.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK only if protected from winter rain.

Very choice Mexican species with broad, flat spines and beautiful purple flowers in late autumn. Very slowly grows to about 40cm diameter. Indoors only with very good drainage, bright light and good ventilation.

4.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK only if protected from winter rain.

Comments later, too busy right now!

4.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK only if protected from winter rain.

Comments later, too busy right now!

4.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK only if protected from winter rain.

Another species of barrel cactus.

4.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK only if protected from winter rain.

Ferocactus are the slowgrowing, impressive Barrel Cacti from Mexico and adjacent deserts. They store water so well they need little watering esp. in winter. Prone to heat stress but also need bright light. Outdoors is risky.

4.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK only if protected from winter rain.

Vining caudiciform from south-west Africa. Silvery bumpulous caudex becomes quite large. Possibly hardy and worth trying in good outdoor situation if very well-drained. Sweetly scented greenish flowers in autumn.

3.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK in warm, well-drained position in mild areas.

The Vegetable Python of Africa.

4.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK only if protected from winter rain.

Low sand-dweller from the Transvaal with finger shaped leaves tipped with a frosted translucent window. Flowers purple with a yellow centre. Keep plant compact and low with bright light, and do not overwater. Indoors only.

7.Winter grower. Needs water in winter, not summer.

Handsome blue-grey many-leafed rosette to 2m.+ in diameter, eventually with a 2m. high trunk. Suits most gardens including coastal areas. Harmless grey-green leaves, no spines. Tolerates frost.

2.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK, easy to grow.

A 2003 Corocac release. Handsome green slightly scabrous leaves in a stemless rosette to maybe 30cm diameter. Probably OK in well-drained outdoor situation with part shade.

4.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK only if protected from winter rain.

A giant amongst Gasterias, lvs to 1m long. The inflorescence of bent 50mm pink flowers is branched like a tree and to 2m tall. Best in partial shade but will take some sun. Easy outdoors in well drained spot.

3.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK in warm, well-drained position in mild areas.

Recent discovery from South Africa. Copiously white-dotted thick leaves form a dense cluster which looks geat in a natural crevice in your rockery. Globose pink flowers. Must ensure good drainage.

4.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK only if protected from winter rain.

Strange hybrid which has a boring black phase when young but grows large (to 25cms+) and brightly spotted later. Its attractive inflorescence is often bifurcated unlike any other we know. Easy and OK out in mild areas.

3.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK in warm, well-drained position in mild areas.

Handsome medium rosette with white spotting on thick leaves which are soon triangular in section even on small offset plantlets. Tall inflorescence of pink flowers. Easy indoors or outside in the garden.

3.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK in warm, well-drained position in mild areas.

One of the largest Gasterias, rosettes to 1m diam. When older the leaves become distinctly three sided. Probably hardy, certainly OK outdoors in mild areas.

2.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK, easy to grow.

Comments later, too busy right now!

4.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK only if protected from winter rain.

Probably bred in Japan this hybrid has a milky pastel green leaf with darker longitudinal stripes. Fanshaped, later twisting a little and offsetting freely. Easy and probably OK outdoors.

3.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK in warm, well-drained position in mild areas.

Regional distichous form of Gasteria nitida. Leathery straplike leaves lie flat to the ground. Very slowly offsets to form a cluster. Pink stomach-shaped flowers.

4.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK only if protected from winter rain.

Unusually white variegated Gasteria (even the flowers are paler than normal). Grows to about 25cm or more. Offsets prolifically to produce dense clumps. Stomach shaped pinkish flowers. OK outdoors.

3.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK in warm, well-drained position in mild areas.

Handsome glossy rosette to 30cm or more in diameter. Possibly capable of outdoor and garden cultivation but probably not very frost-hardy. An intergeneric hybrid between Gasteria and Haworthia.

3.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK in warm, well-drained position in mild areas.

Pregnant Pancake. Rare cucurbit, east African. Eventually forms a caudex to 2+ meters across. Small orange flowers. Good pot subject, sun or shade. OK outdoors in the garden if frost-free. Prune vines if necessary.

3.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK in warm, well-drained position in mild areas.

Stunning coloured hybrid between Graptopetalum and Echeveria. Offsetting to form small low growing clumps. Brightest colours in spring. OK outdoors in frost-free well drained sunny spot.

4.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK only if protected from winter rain.

Glossy, flattened bright green cactus from a barren, inhospitable corner of Paraguay called Cerro Leon. Flowers freely, white with a hint of lilac. Easy to grow, prefers partial shade.

4.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK only if protected from winter rain.

Reddish green cactus with attractive pink stripes from each areole. Native to salt dunes in Bolivia. Large pink flowers in spring. Easy to grow indoors.

4.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK only if protected from winter rain.

From Argentina grasslands. One of the largest Gymno's, to 1/2 metre diameter after many years!!! Flowers readily. Easy to grow, prefers partial shade. Outdoors if protected from winter rain.

4.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK only if protected from winter rain.

Low solitary olive-grey bodies with 1 downward and up to 2 sideways curved appressed spines. Flowers white.

4.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK only if protected from winter rain.

Haageocerus are colourful-spined columnar cacti branching from ground level. 1 to 4 m ht, depends on species. Flowers probably white or red. Grow in full sun, not yet sure of outdoor capability in NZ.

3.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK in warm, well-drained position in mild areas.

Comments later, too busy right now!

2.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK, easy to grow.

Two large leaves apppear in autumn from a buried bulb. Leaves die down in spring. In summer a gorgeous blood red flower appears miraculously from the ground. Bright light for good leaves, OK outdoors in mild areas.

7.Winter grower. Needs water in winter, not summer.

Variable species. Tubercles vary from fine dots to bold confluent lines. Suits partial shade. Total dryness causes tip dryoff. Ideal small indoor clusterer, or in rockeries, but probably not very frost-hardy.

3.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK in warm, well-drained position in mild areas.

Variable species. Tubercles vary from fine dots to bold confluent lines. Suits partial shade. Total dryness causes tip dryoff. Ideal small indoor clusterer, or in rockeries, but probably not very frost-hardy.

3.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK in warm, well-drained position in mild areas.

Larger growing form of bolusii. To 15cm diameter, rarely offsetting.

4.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK only if protected from winter rain.

Haworthias suit partial shade or redden nicely in full sun. Ideal small indoor plant, or in rockeries. Not very frost-tolerant. About 70 species, many varieties. Most offset to form low clusters.

4.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK only if protected from winter rain.

One of the ‘Columnar Haworthias’. Forms many upright leaf-clad stems radiating from an offsetting base. Sometimes stems may recline and reroot. Haworthias suit partial shade or redden nicely in full sun.

3.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK in warm, well-drained position in mild areas.

This slow growing flat-topped rosette charms with its various colours and speckles especially in bright light. Deep pot needed to contain large roots. Water sparingly.

4.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK only if protected from winter rain.

Very attractive form of H. emelyae with dark, rough-surfaced leaves (almost like sandpaper). Rarely offsets and only grows to about 8cm across. Best indoors in bright light (but not direct sun).

4.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK only if protected from winter rain.

Not upheld as a taxon by the authorities but worth growing for its prettier leaves with milky white spots or lime green colours in varying amounts. Grows larger and leaves a little more rotund. Deep pot needed. Water sparingly.

4.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK only if protected from winter rain.

Related to H.attenuata but smooth upperside of leaves. Suits partial shade or reddens nicely in full sun. Ideal small indoor plant, or in rockeries. Light frosts only. Prolific clusterer.

2.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK, easy to grow.

Variably variegated form of fasciata which is related to H.attenuata but smooth upperside of leaves. Suits partial shade or reddens nicely in full sun. Ideal small indoor plant, or in rockeries. Light frosts only. Prolific clusterer.

3.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK in warm, well-drained position in mild areas.

Haworthias suit partial shade or redden nicely in full sun. Ideal small indoor plant, or in rockeries. Not very frost-tolerant. About 70 species, many varieties. Most offset to form low clusters.

3.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK in warm, well-drained position in mild areas.

This species has white flowers in late winter, bigger and fleshier than most Haw’s. Ideal small indoor plant, or in rockeries, but probably not very frost-tolerant. Eventually offsets to form low clusters.

4.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK only if protected from winter rain.

New rarity related to minima, papillosa etc. In time will offset but perhaps looks best kept large and single, in a shallow bowl.

4.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK only if protected from winter rain.

Described in 1984 this small slow-growing glistening-leafed fusiform-rooted dirt-hugger has blackened windows for its secretive lifestyle in South Africa. Keep on the dry side in a deep pot for the roots. Bright light indoors is best.

5.Indoors OK, Outdoors not OK.

This is the form of H.limifolia from the Mozaam River. Haworthia suits partial shade. Ideal small indoor plant, or in well-drained rockeries. Not very frost-tolerant. Offsets prolifically in time to form low clusters.

3.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK in warm, well-drained position in mild areas.

This Haworthia suits partial shade. Ideal small indoor plant, or in well-drained rockeries. Not very frost-tolerant. Offsets prolifically in time to form low clusters.

3.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK in warm, well-drained position in mild areas.

Haworthias suit partial shade or redden nicely in full sun. Ideal small indoor plant, or in rockeries. Not very frost-tolerant. About 70 species, many varieties. Most offset to form low clusters.

4.Indoors OK, Outdoors OK only if protected from winter rain.

Rare large growing species with rosettes eventually reaching a diameter of 20cm+. Varies from smooth to slightly tubercled. Best in partial shade, not too hot. Easy but slow.

5.Indoors OK, Outdoors not OK.