Euphorbia schillingii - Spurge

Euphorbia schillingii is a hardy and giant perennial, a beautiful plant that often exceeds 120 cm (47in) in height. It forms unbranched stems adorned with evergreen leaves, tender bluish green, with a white central vein. The flat inflorescences, composed of numerous small pale yellow acidic bouquets, are very bright. They appear from mid-summer to mid-autumn. In dry climates, it can display beautiful autumn colors. It thrives in rather heavy, humus-bearing, and moist soils, in full sun or partial shade.

Euphorbia schillingii belongs to the vast family of Euphorbiaceae. The Himalayas have provided gardeners with some gems among the euphorbias. This one was only discovered in 1975, in the east of Nepal, by Tony Schilling, a botanist passionate about this region, who gave it his name. It is an erect herbaceous perennial that forms a clump that can easily reach 120 cm (47in) in height, with a spread of 60 cm (24in). It has upright and branched stems towards the top, bearing beautiful elongated and oval leaves, thick and slightly rubbery, somewhat glaucous, with a contrasting white to pale green central vein. The flowering takes place from July-August to September-October depending on the climate. The inflorescences are composed of numerous small petal-less flowers, pale yellow and acidic, with greenish reflections, a very fresh and rare color in the garden. These compound florets radiate in all directions, producing a dome that almost reaches the ground. The plant is nectariferous. The plant secretes a white latex, which is very visible when the stems are broken. This latex is toxic and can be an irritant.

This Euphorbia is very suitable for moist and clayey soils, rich but not marshy. In our garden, it reaches a height of 2 metres (7 feet), but this is rare and an average height of 1.20 m (4ft) should be more common. It is a good plant for the edge of a woodland, where it can be associated with bearded irises, astilbes, ferns, and hostas. It can also be planted near water features. It can also be grown in large pots.