Euphorbia ingensCandelabra Tree

The Euphorbia ingens is a tree built entirely out of succulent stem. Known as the Candelabra Tree, it rises from southern and eastern Africa on a short woody trunk into a crown of four and five-angled green branches that curve upward in tiers, carrying paired short spines along their ridges and almost no leaf at all.

At 6 to 12 metres it is one of the few genuinely architectural specimens available for a desert scheme, holding its form through drought that would defeat a conventional tree.

Specifications

• Height6 to 12 metres, occasionally to 15 metres
• Width3 to 6 metres
• Native toSouthern and eastern Africa
• FoliageEffectively leafless; four to five-angled succulent green stems with paired spines along the ridges
• Growth rateSlow to moderate

Conditions

• SoilRequires sharply drained sandy or rocky soils; rots in heavy or waterlogged ground
• LightFull sun
• WaterVery low; highly drought-tolerant once established
• ClimateThrives in arid, semi-arid and subtropical savanna regions

Additional Features

• FormShort trunk carrying a tiered candelabra crown of upswept angular branches
• FlowersSmall yellow-green cyathia carried along the ridges of the stems
• UsesIdeal for desert and xeric landscapes, architectural feature planting, and large rockeries
• SpacingPlant 3 to 5 metres apart to let the branching structure be read
• Low MaintenanceRequires essentially no routine care in a suitable climate
• Pest ResistanceGenerally robust where drainage is sharp
• Drought ToleranceStores water in the stems and holds condition through extended drought
• ToxicityExudes copious white latex that is severely irritant to skin and eyes; handle with protection and site away from public access

The Candelabra Tree gives an arid scheme a genuine vertical structure where a conventional canopy tree could not survive.