Jump to content

Euphorbia mellifera

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Plantdrew (talk | contribs) at 18:00, 19 January 2016 (add reference). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Euphorbia mellifera
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
(unranked):
(unranked):
(unranked):
Order:
Family:
Genus:
Species:
E. mellifera
Binomial name
Euphorbia mellifera

Euphorbia mellifera (canary spurge,[1] honey spurge syn. Tithymalus melliferus Moench)[2]) is a species of flowering plant in the spurge family Euphorbiaceae, native to Madeira. It is an evergreen shrub growing to 2 m (6 ft 7 in) or more, with narrow leaves up to 20 cm (8 in) long. In spring it produces brown, honey-scented flowers.[3]

The Latin specific epithet mellifera means "producing honey".[4]

It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[5]

Like all euphorbias, this plant contains a milky-white sap, which oozes out of the stems when cut. This can be a skin irritant and is very harmful to the eyes. Gloves should be worn when pruning,


References

  1. ^ "BSBI List 2007". Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-02-25. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  2. ^ Euphorbia mellifera in BoDD – Botanical Dermatology Database
  3. ^ RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. 2008. p. 1136. ISBN 1405332964.
  4. ^ Harrison, Lorraine (2012). RHS Latin for gardeners. United Kingdom: Mitchell Beazley. p. 224. ISBN 9781845337315.
  5. ^ "Euphorbia mellifera". Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 26 July 2013.