Euphorbia griffithii - Spurge

The Euphorbia griffithii, also known as Griffith's spurge, is a superb deciduous plant, hardy and very distinctive. This large euphorbia, which thrives in moist and humus-rich soil, has highly colorful foliage, olive green veined with red, topped in summer by beautiful inflorescences of a vibrant vermilion red. An absolutely remarkable perennial, it will thrive in any good fresh garden soil, or even in large pots on the terrace or balcony.

The Euphorbia griffithii belongs to the eclectic family Euphorbiaceae. Its rhizomatous herbaceous perennial is native to the Eastern Himalayas. This rhizomatous euphorbia quickly spreads with the help of its underground rhizomes, without becoming invasive. The plant forms an erect clump, with reddish-green stems that later turn green, reaching approximately 90 cm (35in) in height, and spreading up to 60 cm (24in) on the ground. In spring, its young foliage is purple, then turns olive green tinged with red, while in June, large cymose inflorescences composed of involucres in a bright orange retouched with red at maturity emerge, resembling flaming wigs. In autumn, this magical plant transforms into a torch, creating a symphony of yellow, orange, red, and purple. The combination is very colorful!  The foliage is deciduous to semi-evergreen depending on the climate. Like all euphorbias, this plant produces a sticky latex. This substance can cause skin irritation and is toxic if ingested (all parts of the plant).

Unlike Mediterranean species, this Griffith's spurge does not tolerate excessively dry soils. Note also that the colour of the inflorescences varies significantly depending on the exposure and nature of the soil. It is perfectly suited for exotic gardens, or for rock gardens. Its uniqueness pairs well with kniphofias, the large leaves of tetrapanax, Hedychium assam orange, or yuccas. It has a majestic silhouette that can be placed at the turn of a path. Equally at home in modern gardens as in a rural setting, it complements any colour, enhancing the fiery shade of its inflorescences and foliage. To make its flowering even brighter, simply pair it with the purple of irises, Alliums, or large-flowered clematis. The combination with grasses is particularly successful. It can be used to create soft and sinuous mass effects, structure flower beds, contrast colours and leaf shapes.

For the record, we have given up on the 'Fire Glow' and 'Dixter' cultivars as we have not yet seen the difference between these named varieties, respectively found by A. Bloom and C. Lloyd. Both are described as improvements on the species of rare beauty, but the nurseries that sell the authentic varieties are themselves very rare because, to this day, we have still not found them. For a fair comparison, similar growing conditions are required. However, different cultivars under the same conditions have all turned out to be identical.