The Euphorbia genus is one of the largest in the plant kingdom with over 2000 species living in a wide range of different habitats all over the world. They can vary in their appearance from smaller succulent-like plants to towering trees. Although they come in widely different forms and colours, all euphorbias have poisonous latex sap and distinctive floral structures.
The Winter Garden is home to Euphorbia cotinifolia and Euphorbia leucocephala, two very different plants in appearance. Euphorbia cotinifolia, also known as tropical smoke bush, is a multi-stemmed shrub that can be trained to grow into trees over 9m tall. What makes this plant truly spectacular is its rich burgundy foliage, which is in striking contrast to the tiny white flowers and creamy bracts that appear in summer.
Euphorbia leucocephala, aptly named "snows of Kilimanjaro", is an evergreen shrub that grows up to 2m tall. In late autumn, fragrant white flowers appear, attracting butterflies and other pollinators. The flowers are surrounded by large striking white bracts that create a beautiful snow-like appearance in the landscape.
Both E. cotinifolia and E. leucocephala originate from tropical and subtropical areas, thus they are not frost hardy, making them difficult to grow here in Otago. However, you can enjoy them all year round at the Winter Garden.
Garden Life is produced by Dunedin Botanic Garden.
For further information contact Ben Xie.
