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birdsnblooms

Crown of Thorns..2 color flower?

birdsnblooms
14 years ago

I've had E. millii some time..3-5 yrs. It finally flowered this winter. I've heard of bi-colored flowers, but this guy has two different, colored flowers growing off the same stem.

BTW, blooms opened within a day of each other, so it's not one petal is older than the other.

Flowers are 3 wks old, but this batch is starting to fade..it's my fault, soil was way too dry, dryer than I norally allow.

Hope someone has an answer..Is this normal or do I have a rarity..thanks, Toni

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Comments (15)

  • puglvr1
    14 years ago

    Hi Toni, that is SO cool!! I've never seen one with two different colors before. I love the thick trunk also, very pretty plant...thanks for posting!

  • dav4vid
    14 years ago

    ...and such GIANT leaves! My E. millii look scrawny and puny and weak and anorexic and (fill in adjective) compared to yours.

    Methinks you have a wonderful mutant plant.

  • stephania
    14 years ago

    Hi guys (^_^)" I am kind of breaking boy's heart person. LOL

    In my opinion, it seem your plant does need more sunlight to enhance the colour.

    Here in this part of the world, where is the source of nice Crown of Thorns hybrids.
    These are some varieties you could find here in Bangkok City, THAILAND.

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  • puglvr1
    14 years ago

    Stephania, in Toni's defense she lives in Illinois where sunshine this time of year is not abundant. I think her COT is in beautiful condition especially taken into account its grown indoors for several months this time of year...where sunshine is scarce and outdoor growing is not possible for a while. I think she's done an outstanding job and even got it to bloom...AMAZING Toni!

    Thanks for posting the beautiful photos, I've never seen so many COTs in one place.

  • floridabear
    14 years ago

    The 2 color flower is found on the Thai Crown of Thorns all the time. While the completely different colors on 2 different flowers is very odd, it does happen on Thai Euphorbias.

    All my Thai Crown of Thorns are multicolorsed...like the pictures from Stephania. I wish they were as cheap to buy, here in the states, I am sure in Thailand they are probably cheap as can be. Lucky! That last one looks like 'Tangerine', a new variety that I just spent $6.00 on for a 4in cutting! All my crown of thorns have massive trunks and the flowers are about the size of a half dollar and feel like leather.

  • ks_girl
    14 years ago

    Crown of Thorns will bloom year round if given enough light. I live in Ks and mine bloom all year. Outside on the south side in the summer and inside by the west patio door with a overhang. The color fades considerably inside and my variegated bloom one turns one color while inside and goes back variegated outside in the summer.

    You might try putting it outside this summer and see what it does.

    Love all those colors Stephania. I've seen the ones with the huge blooms but they're usually a bit pricey for my taste.

  • pirate_girl
    14 years ago

    With all due respect Stephania, there is NO comparison. You are in the tropics, we are not (certainly not Illinois, which I believe still gets snow, yes Toni?)

    No amount of Illinois sun will EVER make for plants anything like the ones in your pic. I understand the Thais have done considerable work in breeding these hybrids. We hear this in America & can certainly admire the results but really, it's the most unfair comparison, rather like Apples & Elephants or Zebras.

    While I'm sure you meant no offense, the gorgeous plants & pix you posted detract from Toni's question & overpower her post. Perhaps in future, post it as a separate thread, where we could all enjoy it, but not at the expense of another person's post.

    (I don't understand your first sentence.)

    Toni, I'm fascinated at this 2 diff. color blooms in one pair of blooms: have never seen or heard of this. Will try to remember to ask at my Indoor Gardening Group if anyone else has see this (I quit my C&S Society some yrs. ago), so Indoor's the only Plant Society I belong to. Very cool!

  • birdsnblooms
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Thanks, All. E. Milliis and Thais are The prettiest and most colorful Euphorbia flowers around..not to mention all the new colors!! Makes one want to shop..lol..

    Karen, I'd appreciate if you'd ask someone at the Plant Society. Rare or not, I was curious why colors differed. Thanks.

    Pug, I feel 'good inside' when you compliment my plants, especially after viewing all your beautys.
    When I see or think Adenium, the first thing that comes to mind is your huge, flower-filled Adenium..It's the best!!! Honest to God, yours is the prettiest I'd ever seen. Please post it again.. :)

    Now Stephania..Your Euphorbias are beautiful, much nicer than mine will ever be, but the difference is, I don't live in Thailand, let alone able to keep tropicals/succulents outdoors 365 days per year, and 366 on Leap Year. :)

    Even your Aglaonema, in Pic 4 is doing great. Again, much nicer than mine will ever look.

    Have you ever visited the US? I live in the Midwest. The center of United States. We endure gray/freezing/dry winters. Sunless and succulents don't mix. Even our summers are short, and seem to be getting shorter each year.

    So, yes, your Euphorbias are beautiful, and I'm sure you're proud showing them off..please don't take this the wrong way, but I don't post pics to compete. I too am proud when a plant flowers or variegation remains on leaves after several months of darkness.
    I also enjoy viewing others' plant pics..wish there were more..
    BTW, I adore your E. Thai, last picture. I would love to find one...guess I'll start hunting..lol.. Would you happen to know its name?

    Again I want to thank everyone for your help..hugs, Toni

  • kajntug
    13 years ago

    I know this isn't really the same topic but I needed some advice about my Crown of Thorn plant. Apparently the leaves on the plant are turning yellow and are falling. Also the stem is beginning to soften and if any one can please let me know about how to get the plant to be healthy again. So what should I do? Please write back as soon as possible. Thank You.

  • amccour
    13 years ago

    "Apparently the leaves on the plant are turning yellow and are falling."

    Are E. Miliis deciduous? A lot of Madagascan plants seem to be, but I'm not sure.

    "...and such GIANT leaves!"

    I kind of wonder about that -- do Millii/Viguieri hybrids exist? The cultivars with big, floppy leaves always remind me of E. Viguieri for some reason.

  • meyermike_1micha
    13 years ago

    Toni!!!

    Oh my goodness..You got that to flower and those pretty colors...? You certainly have a plant that will never keep you boring! Great work.

    Hello everybody else.....Have a great day.

    I can not believe I never saw this Toni.

    Mike

  • Denise
    13 years ago

    Toni,

    I grow quite a few of the Thai E. milliis and they sometimes do have different color flowers on the same plant, though I'm not sure I've seen quite THAT much of a difference! Interestingly, I have one that has gotten fairly tall with nice big flowers at the top, kind of mottled pinish/orangey flowers. Well, it produced a side shoot near the base, and when the sideshoot blooms, they're small solid red flowers! I asked a member of my cactus club (he used to own Arid Lands) and he said that these are hybrids and hybrids tend to be unstable and you can get all kinds of variability in flowers AND leaves. Interesting, huh?

    Kajntug,

    If the trunk is softening, it's not going to make it. You can salvage and reroot by cutting above the mushy part (assuming it started low and not high...) Set aside the cutting for at least 2 or 3 weeks, then plant it in just a bit of soil in the bottom of a pot so the pot side will prop the cutting. If you're in a climate like mine, it probably won't do anything until next spring, so you want to just mist it once in awhile. It's really hard to root Euphorbias this time of year, but I'd give it a shot to try to salvage a piece from it.

    Denise in Omaha

  • beachplant
    13 years ago

    Pretty much all of mine have produced different color blooms, some even will put out blooms that are bi-color, half red/half yellow. The Thai hybrids are more likely to do this, and a larger variety of color. The prices of the Thais are certainly coming down and here you can often find them about the same as the "regular" ones. I have one that has variegated stems as well as variegated foliage, it likes more shade then the rest of them.

    Here they are often planted in the landscapes, they suffered in last years freeze and the hurricane but most survived.

    Kajntug-sounds like it has been too wet, they like a lot of moisture but like a quick draining mix and don't like to be wet. Let it dry out, pull it out of the pot and look at the roots. Repot it in a fast draining mix, bright light but no full sun yet, WATER LIGHTLY, gradually move it to brighter light, don't let it stay wet. If it's squishy and rotten roots, cut off any part that isn't rotted, let it dry well and then pot it up, they root pretty easily.
    Tally HO!

  • birdsnblooms
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Kajntug, I agree with Denise and BeachPlant..you're overwatering. That's the reason the trunk is soft. Don't know if you can save your COT or not, but in the future, if you buy another, be careful when watering. Soil needs to dry between waterings, and the pot MUST have drainage. In the meantime, I hope you were able to save your plant.

    Mike, lol, thank you.

    Denise, that is interesting. COT's are so beautiful. I can't believe the various colors. And the best part is they bloom year round. At least millii does. Thai's are a tad fussier. Maybe Thais need more light than milliis?

    Beachplant, I'd love to see a picture of your variegated stem COT. Sounds lovely. What colors are they? And do you know its name?
    As for price, I always buy baby Sux..mostly seedlings..It's much less expensive, and watching them grow, well, is sentimental. lol.
    I once found a Thai, 'locally' w/half and half colored flowers. Red and green. It went outside in summer..That year we had a ton of rain. The next thing I knew, it rotted..Thankfully, none of my other COT's died, but as I stated above, IMO, Thai's are fussier than Millis.

    Thanks all, Toni

  • jojobrink
    10 years ago

    I love your plant I have one to it is also blooming flowers inside of flowers I have never seen this before