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June 17, 2009 : Euphorbia griffithii 'Fireglow'
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Plant Family / Families: Euphorbiaceae
Scientific Name and Author: Euphorbia griffithii 'Fireglow'
Institution: UBC Botanical Garden
Accession Number: 037846-0312-2005
Name Location: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
With today's posting, we welcome summer student, Stephen Coughlin, whose duties include Botany Photo of the Day. This entry was written by Stephen and the photo was taken by Eric La Fountaine.
Euphorbiaceae (the spurge family), which consists of around 300 genera and 7500 species, is native to both the temperate and tropical climate zones. Euphorbia griffithii is a metre-high herbaceous perennial that hails from the eastern Himalayas to the mountains of Myanmar (Burma) and western China. It ignites into bloom in early summer. The cultivar 'Fireglow', which is more deeply coloured than the species, welcomes visitors at the entrance to UBC Botanical Garden with a series of chromatic juxtapositions simultaneously subtle and strong: on its floral bracts, rich reds mix with searing yellows and oranges as if on the palette of an Old Master, while the dark burgundy of the stem and the green of the waxy leaves lend further contrast and contribute to the intensity of the blazing blooms above. This intensity culminates in the fall, when the floral apparatus turns brick red.
The vividness of the bloom, which to some suggests a measure of resilience and assertion, is indeed matched by the vigour with which 'Fireglow' confronts its surroundings. The species is robust enough to withstand both hostile pollutants and the vast spectrum of weather conditions associated with Zones 4 through 9; E. griffithii tends toward the invasive, however, at least in garden situations. Paraphrasing renowned gardener and garden writer Christopher Lloyd, the species is aggressive, and its sustained struggles when matched with a similarly dominant species leave the gardener only to referee. In addition to these somewhat bellicose tendencies, 'Fireglow' has another menacing trick up its sleeve. While the plant's capacity to repel the onslaughts of deer and other animals is undoubtedly a benefit in the garden, gardeners beware, for the milky sap that fills the stems of this beautiful spurge is toxic.
For those wishing to explore the plants of the Himalayas, Laboritoire d'Ecologie Alpine has a searchable database, Flora Himalayan Database, which provides links to other Himalayan flora resources (Original French).
Posted by Eric La Fountaine at June 17, 2009 10:01 AM
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Comments
Posted by: Deo at June 17, 2009 11:12 AM
Welcome, Stephen! That was a lovely description - fun for those of us who are both plant geeks & word geeks :)
Posted by: mtn_laurel at June 17, 2009 11:53 AM
OK, great photo and excellent narrative. Sign Stephen up as an editor, contributor for this project and also for the UBC newsletters and publications before he is conscripted by some other literary endeavour.
Posted by: Mike in the NC Mountains at June 17, 2009 12:06 PM
Welocme Stephen! Nice wording.
Posted by: Sue Vargas at June 17, 2009 12:40 PM
Euphorbia ew-for-bee-a The classical name after Euphorbus, physician to Juba, king of Mauritania.
griffithii gri-fith-ee-ee After William Griffith [1810-1845], surgeon and botanist in India and SE Asia. Dictionary of Plant Names, Coombes
Posted by: Beverley at June 17, 2009 12:48 PM
What can I add to the above!
Great photo, Eric, and I look forward to more writing by Stephen.
Posted by: Annie Morgan at June 17, 2009 1:17 PM
I'd prefer less of the 'chromatic juxtapositions simultaneously subtle and strong' and more of the 'metre-high herbaceous perennial that hails from the eastern Himalayas' but that's probably not going to be a popular viewpoint...
Posted by: ajbroome at June 17, 2009 1:29 PM
I loved the chromatic juxtapositions and all that good stuff about deer "resistance." Carry on!
Posted by: joan at June 17, 2009 2:15 PM
welcome stephen
fine write up - eric's fine pictures
intersting plant and fine links
i live on the west central gulf of florida
99degrees of heat here today
middle of june! but the ixoras
flame of the woods are in bloom
thank you bev too
Posted by: elizabeth a airhart at June 17, 2009 4:57 PM
Thank you for such a lovely photo. The colour is so nice. I do like what is writen about the Euphorbia "Fireglow".
Thank you,
Margaret-Rae
Posted by: Margaret-Rae Davis at June 17, 2009 5:57 PM
this is a great plant but it is a bully it needs lots of room...
Posted by: Tanis at June 17, 2009 8:06 PM
A nice piece about a nasty invasive poisonous plant!
Posted by: Michael F at June 18, 2009 2:11 AM
Great write up and a plant I have in my garden. I would like to know how I can make it be invasive though as it is steadfastly refusing to spread!
Posted by: jan at June 18, 2009 3:04 AM
how do plants grow
Posted by: joshua at June 18, 2009 8:42 AM
HOW DID U GRW THIS PLANTS?
Posted by: MOLCOM at June 18, 2009 8:45 AM
What a beautiful, poetic and vivid description of an unusual plant. And thanks for the warning about its agressivity; after Forget-Me-Nots, I would never again plant an invasive species. Lucky UBC to find such a gifted writer. Best of luck, Stephen!
Posted by: Eunice de Gruchy at June 25, 2009 4:15 AM
On a scale of agressiveness, I would rank it only a 7 out of ten. I just divided mine. After four years, it went from a #1 nursery pot to a clump of about half a meter E-W by less than a meter N-S.
It did not seed around and it did not send up runners a great distance from the main clump. Clearly, it is a vigouruous plant, but I would judge it necessary to check its spread once every 3-4 years in situation of unrestricted growth. It might require even less if stricted by being placed in corner of a bed or where a sidewalk meets a foundation.
It is good to warn of the toxicity of the sap; although, I think most gardeners have come to expect that white sap indicates one should be cautious, wear gloves and, as I just did, wash up to the elbows after your work with the plant is done. As with most toxins, the sensitivities vary. I experience only mild irritation with prolonged contact with Euphorbia sap. My wife has a much stronger and immediate reation, thus the task of downsizing the plant fell to me.
If anyone in the Portland, Oregon Metropolitan reads this and area would like some, let me know because I now have several starts to dispense with on a first come, first serve basis. You can track me down throuth the Oregon Camellia Society.
Posted by: Denis at September 27, 2009 4:12 PM
Please share your comments about the photograph(s) and accompanying write-up. Telling a story about the subject of the photograph(s) is also much appreciated! If you have a gardening question, the best place to ask is on the UBC Botanical Garden Forums. Thank you!
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Botany Photo of the Day is a project of the UBC Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research, located in Vancouver, British Columbia Canada. UBC BGCPR is a department of the Faculty of Land and Food Systems within The University of British Columbia.
Excellently written and highly informative. Great work for the summer.