Look what I got at a succulent gift exchange!

On Tuesday, I attended the Solstice Party of the San Francisco Cactus & Succulent Society (SFCSS). It’s one the year’s biggest events, with plenty of great food and great company.

One of the highlights is the gift exchange. It’s different from a traditional White Elephant exchange where each gift is wrapped and the identity of the bringer is unknown. Here, the gifts (mostly plants) are left unwrapped and labeled with the name of the person who brought them. The member whose gift is voted to be the most desirable overall gets to go first. The gift they pick determines who goes next, and so on. This encourages participants to bring “nicer” gifts so they’re called early.

I brought a ×Mangave ‘Praying Hands’, which was chosen reasonably early. I knew what I wanted: this Euphorbia ammak ‘Variegata’ cutting:

Paul McGregor, the member who brought this Euphorbia ammak ‘Variegata’ cutting, told me that he had taken it that morning from his 15 ft. plant.

I’d wanted a Euphorbia ammak ‘Variegata’ for many years. I’d never bought one because it’s a tender species that doesn’t tolerate temperatures much below freezing. Even if doesn’t die outright in the high 20s, it develops necrosis – black spots that mar its beauty. However, with a free cutting this large and pristine staring me in the face, I simply couldn’t resist.

The cutting fit perfectly in the back of our van, with just a bit of room to spare at either end:

After I got home, I measured it: It’s a proud 3½ ft. (107 cm) tall!

Since it’s unrooted, I’m leaving it upright on the front porch so the cut surface can callus properly. After Christmas, it’ll go in a pot of pure pumice. It’ll then spend the winter in a protected spot against the house where it should be safe from any frost. In the spring, I’ll pot it up properly.

My plan is for it to live outside in the sun from late winter to late fall, then overwinter on the front porch. Eventually, it’ll be too big to move, but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Maybe by then global warming will have made Davis frost-free and it can go in the ground.

Euphorbia ammak is native to the southern Arabian Peninsula (Saudi Arabia, Yemen). Like many other tall columnar euphorbias, it resembles a cactus, but it isn’t related to the cactus family. The variegated form, far more common in cultivation than the plain green form, is a striking milky white or light yellow. It grows quite quickly, especially in the ground. It’s a beautiful plant even when young and becomes ever more spectacular with age.

Unfortunately, because it’s so tender, its landscape use is extremely limited up here in inland Northern California. Mostly, you see small specimens in containers:

Private collection, Sacramento, CA

In frost-free areas, Euphorbia ammak ‘Variegata’ thrives. In California, that would be places like the Bay Area (within a mile or two of the water), the Central Coast, Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego County. In Southern California nurseries, it’s common to see large boxed specimens for sale:

Boxed specimens for sale, OC Succulents, Irvine, CA

I’ve been enamored with Euphorbia ammak ‘Variegata’ for a long time and have taken many photos of it over the years. Here’s a small sampling, all of them taken in Southern California.

Mission San Juan Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano, CA

Pitzer College, Claremont, CA, with Agave attenuata, another succulent extremely common in Southern California landscaping but frustratingly challenging in inland Northern California

Plant Depot, San Juan Capistrano, CA, with Agave americana, Agave attenuata ‘Kara’s Stripe’, and Agave titanota

Public landscaping, Costa Mesa, CA, with Furcraea foetida ‘Mediopicta’ at bottom center

Sherman Library and Gardens, Corona del Mar, CA, with Aloidendron barberae on the left

Sherman Library and Gardens, Corona del Mar, CA, with Aloidendron barberae on the left

Sherman Library and Gardens, Corona del Mar, CA, with blooming Aloidendron barberae on the right

Lotusland, Montecito, CA, contrasting against Euphorbia ingens

Lotusland, Montecito, CA, contrasting against Euphorbia ingens

As much as I want to be able to grow Euphorbia ammak ‘Variegata’ successfully over the long term, I’m enough of a realist to know that the odds are stacked against me. Still, when has that ever kept me from trying?

© Gerhard Bock, 2023. All rights reserved. To receive all new posts by email, please subscribe here.