Candelilla, Tall slipper plant, Slipper Spurge Plant, Pedilanthus Macrocarpus. Unusual Succulent grows up to 10" Tall . Hardy to 20F.
Euphorbia Bracteata, Slipper Plant, Pedilanthus Macrocarpus. Unusual attractive slow-growing succulent, mostly leafless, or with tiny inconspicuous leaves. This plant is a fun addition in the garden in the ground or as a container specimen. It is native to dry deciduous woodlands in Mexico from Sonora to Guerrero.
Synonyms:
Euphorbia bracteata Jacq.
Pedilanthus bracteatus (Jacq.) Boiss.
Tithymaloides bracteata (Jacq.) Kuntze
Tithymalus bracteatus (Jacq.) Haw.
Ventenatia bracteata (Jacq.) Tratt.
Habit and Cultural Information
Category: Succulent
Family: Euphorbiaceae (Spurges)
Origin: Mexico (North America)
Evergreen: Yes
Flower Color: Red
Bloomtime: Spring/Summer
Synonyms: [P pavonis, Euphorbia bracteata]
Height: 4-8 feet
Width: 3-4 feet
Exposure: Full Sun
Summer Dry: Yes
Deer Tolerant: Yes
Winter Hardiness: 20-25° F
Pedilanthus bracteatus (Slipper plant) - Growing to around 6 feet tall (to 9 feet in habitat), this upright succulent branches from the base and has narrow cylindrical green stems with ovate leaves, with a thick prominent mid-vein on the lower surface, that occurs just near the branch tips. All vegetative parts of the plant are often sparsely hairy. In the warmth of late spring and summer through fall appear the curiously shaped red cyathia (flower structures containing separate male and female parts) that are enclosed in rounded reddish-pink bracts near the branch tips. Plant in full sun to light shade (leafy but with fewer flowers in the deeper shade) in a well-drained soil and water sparingly to not at all. This plant has been hardy for us to down to at least 25° F and it is listed by some as being hardy to 20°F.
Origin and Habitat: Widespread in west Mexico from Sonora to Guerrero.
Altitude: 300-600 m a.s.l.
Habitat: It grow on flat or slightly rolling land and at the edges of dry deciduous woodlands.
Ecology: It is believed that the flower is pollinated by hummingbirds and insects.