Devil's Backbone is a native woody evergreen perennial subsrub with zigzag stems resembling a spine and medium green leaves. Stems with clusters of showy two-lipped red bracts cover small scarlet flowers at the ends bloom from late spring into summer and are followed by fruit capsules. Best shape with afternoon shade and well-drained soils. Good drought tolerance. Broken stems have a mildly poisonous white sap when damaged. Rarely flowers indoors.
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Type: |
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Height: |
2' - 6' |
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Spread: |
1' - 3’ |
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Spacing: |
2’ |
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USDA Hardiness Zone: |
9 - 11 |
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Culture: |
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Bloom Color: |
Red |
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Season of Interest: |
MAINTENANCE NEEDS: Low Maintenance. Wet soils, especially in winter, will kill the plant. Watch for mealybugs and spider mites.
LANDSCAPE USES: Accents or Group Plantings, Borders, Naturalized Areas, Rock Gardens, and Containers.
COMPANION PLANTS: Allium, Hakone Grass, Sedum
IMAGES: Forest & Kim Starr, Starr-090806-3952-Pedilanthus tithymaloides-habit-Maui Community College Kahului-Maui (24344800213), CC BY 3.0 US, (2) Mokkie, Devil's Backbone (Euphorbia tithymaloides) 5, CC BY-SA 4.0, (3) Vengolis, Chemancheri 2049, CC BY-SA 4.0, (4) Mostafameraji, Euphorbia tithymaloides in iran- mahallat city 21, CC BY-SA 4.0, (5) Patrice78500, Pedilanthus tithymaloides - La Guadeloupe - Détail, CC BY-SA 3.0
*As plants have ranges in appearance they may not appear as the images shown.
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