Here are two pics of two different Medusa type Euphorbia. The yellow flowering one I bought tagged as E. caput-medusae but E. flanagani scriblled on it?? The smaller is a cutting I took about 2 years ago off an unknown. There is a considerable difference in size between the two plants but it's not age. The parent plant the cutting is from was pretty mature and had identical trait of the skinnier 'tentacle' and does not seem to clump. There is a definite visible swollen trunk beginning to form also. I have not seen flower on the parent or cutting whereas the other flowers profusely often covered in the small yellow cyathea for weeks at a time. Can anyone verify the correct naming of the E. flanaganii or E. caput-medusae and maybe point me in the right direction for the name of my unknown cutting? I have to mention that the cutting was of a 'tentacle' which the books I have read say this won't work! The cutting was removed at the very point it enters the main plant. I took about 25 as a trial experiment, only 5 of these actually produced nice plants but it's something that I think could, with practice, become a viable method of propagation. The interesting part is that 'tentacle' doesn't become the plant the ones that worked actually produced little plantlets so it's more of a leaf cutting I suppose.
Okay old thread but the photo of the day has given me renewed hope, maybe. I still have not confirmed the names of either if anyone can help now please don't hold back:}
Thanks, That's one sorted, it had a printed tag with E. caput-medusae with photo matching plant then E. flanagani written on it. I have a few Euphorbia and the other is the only one I have not been able to get a definite i.d. on. That' a good site and it's come in handy a couple of times before (it's already in my favourites), just can't get something definite on the smaller plant though. I have been surprised at the large amount of good cacti and succulent site/books that have been written in either Europe or other cold climate areas, it's actually not so common to find books written in warmer climate areas and it made the first few years working with these guys more trail and error than getting info from a book. Though that obviously doesn't affect i.d. it's just an interesting thing I've noticed.
For the sake of keeping info correct I have another update here. After being in contact with the International Euphorbia Society, they kindly had a look at these plants and suggest it is actually Euphorbia woodii , E. flanaganii is a small version of this and may well not even really be another species at all. The second is still undetermined, with some luck it will flower soon and it will hopefully be possible for a positive i.d. then. So thanks to Daniel for putting up the photo of the day and thank you to the helpful people at the Euphorbia Society, one less unknown.
