Gondwanaland Trading Company
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Pedilanthus bracteatus

(Pedilanthus bracteatus)
Pedilanthus bracteatus

This plant is native to dry deciduous woodlands in Mexico from Sonora to Guerrero and is easily confused with Euphorbia antisyphilitica. It grows to around 2 to 3 meters tall and forms 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 occur 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. This plant does best in full sun to light shade (leafy but with fewer flowers in 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°. It plant is a fun addition in the garden in the ground or as a container specimen. This plant is easily distinguished from Pedilanthus macrocarpus, a Baja California species (which we also grow) that is also seen in southwestern gardens, by its taller height and longer stems as well as the presence of leaves at the branch tips which the leafless Pedilanthus macrocarpus lacks. The curious flowers on several Pedilanthus species are somewhat shoe-shaped and gives this genus the common name Slipper Plant. Other common names include Slipper Spurge and Candelilla (more commonly associated with Euphorbia antisyphilitica and Pedilanthus macrocarpus), for the hard brown wax from this species. This unique plant is a must have for any succulent collector.

Pedilanthus bracteatus

Pedilanthus bracteatus

$34.99