Aunt Gertys' plant looks like an upright cactus, about 4'tall with three arms. Arms & top have about 3 leaves out the end of each.
Body and arms are squarish, about 1.5"/side, dark green with brownish vertical edges. Light colored crescent shaped markings, 2" apart all the way up sides of body & arms. I can only post a photo in an email.
Hopefully someone can point me in the right direction, or maybe Gert has invented a new(hopefully non-lethal) plant. Thanks! Bud
Hi, Looks like a Euphorbia (this is a succulent rather than a cactus). The photograph is a little blurred to be totally sure.
If you want to be sure prick it with a pin somewhere where it won't show. If it is a Euphorbia a white latex like substance will show where you have pricked the plant.
Euphorbias are poisonous and there is plenty of literature on the site about them. However there is no reason to worry as long as you are careful when handling the plant. Keep the sap away from the eyes, cuts or any abrasions on the skin or it will certainly sting for a while.
John
John
Last edited by templegatejohn on Fri Jan 20, 2006 9:30 am, edited 1 time in total.
Thanks for the replies! It has been pricked, and the evil white stuff verified. I think the key to ID is the markings - they look like boats(canoes) with rounded ends, with a simalarly(light)colored dot above boat. Very striking and geometric.
I was on some German site last nite with a gazillion Euphorbia pics, but my eyeballs gave out before I finished the A's. Bud(& Gert)
The markings appear to be the same as Euphorbia Lophogano(var.)?
Found a few pics and scarce info. on a German site. No other mention of it on my search engine, so must be relatively obscure. I'll expand my search now - hope to keep it alive, as it has a very striking appearance. Any advice or links appreciated. Bud
Dominique,
Thank you! That is the German site run by Frank Vincentz - most excellent.There is one pic there showing the body of the plant, which has markings like Gert's, that is all I have to go on so far.
Even when I spell it correctly(what a klutz)Lophogono var., I'm getting nowhere. I find it hard to believe that Gert,25 miles from the nearest town, on the old homestead in Northern Wisconsin, inherited from her mother this plant; of which there is one(two now)photograph. I suggest we name this sweetheart - Euphorbia Gertrude - Bud
Daiv could be right but on this photo it is difficult to tell. Well, if it is plumeria, the stems and trunk are bare (no spines), like here http://membres.lycos.fr/plumeria/
Bud, there is a lot of information on Google, even when you do a pictures search. The right spelling is : euphorbia lophogona.
It is Lophogona! Dominiques' suggestion of Google image search did it. Best pic is by koti.mbnet.fi - bobsmoleys.com is ok too. Neither of those are near as large as Gert's, but do show the distinct varieagated pattern and hairy(?) edges. No pics showing any with candelabra form(arms) like hers, or as big(1.3 meters).
ID was difficult due to most of the pics being just the flowers. Hers has not flowered, so I'm assuming she has been watering wrong, or wrong soil mix/fertilizer or ? It is obviously mature(due to size) and appears very healthy. I'll keep you advised. Next time up there I'll take better pics(new dig camera 12/05) and pass them on. Bud
