Plant Identification- African Milk Bush Plant
My Mom has a plant with these beautiful leaves but we don’t know what the name of the plant is.
Hi Tom,
Your plant is called an African Milk Bush Plant; do not get it confused with an African Milk Tree which is an entirely different plant. Everyone agrees on the common name African Milk Bush since it comes from Africa. Everyone also agrees that it is a type of succulent Euphorbia plant. Many call it an African poinsettia. It has many scientific names however. The most popular are Euphorbia grantii rubra, Synadenium compactum rubra, Synadenium grantii rubra.
Light: Inside an African Milk Bush plant needs very bright indirect light and some morning sun. It loves to go outside when the temperature stays about 50°F (10°C). Keep it out of the direct sun or the older leaves will quickly get burnt. These plants do not like to be cold!
Water: Be careful not to over water an African Milk Bush plant. Allow the top 50% of the soil to dry out and the leaves to become a little soft before you water. During the winter, when the plant is resting and not growing very quickly, water less.
Plant Food: Feed an African Milk Bush plantmonthly in the spring and summer with a balanced fertilizer diluted to 1/2 the recommended strength.
Pruning: I like to prune the plant to keep it bushy. Cuttings from the plant root very easily and can be added back to the original plant or used to start new plants.