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Euphorbia tirucalli 'Sticks on Fire' (Red Pencil Tree) - This very striking succulent shrub is a selected form of Euphorbia tirucalli, a plant with pale green stems that eventually can grow to 25 feet tall by 8 to 10 feet wide. 'Sticks on Fire' lacks the chlorophyll of the parent plant and, as such, is much slower growing and probably will never obtain the same size. The largest plants we have seen of this cultivar have been under 12 feet tall and typically 'Sticks on Fire' is seen more in the 6-to-8-foot range. The many branches on this interesting tree are as thin as pencils and a reddish-golden color with small leaves that are inconspicuous and soon drop. The color tends to fade closer to yellow in the summer and becomes redder in the winter, and color is always best when grown in full sun.
Plant in full to part day sun. It is drought tolerant but reliably cold hardy not much below 30 degrees F, depending on the duration. Be very careful when handling this plant as the stems break easily and the milky sap can burn the skin or cause welts if one is sensitive to it and certainly is not something to ever get into the eyes. When working with this plant use protective googles and if you do get it in the eyes seek medical attention promptly. For this reason this plant should also not be planted near paths or locations where a casual visitor to the garden might accidentally come in contact with it.
The species Euphorbia tirucalli is native to a wide range from Madagascar north through tropical and subtropical Africa, the Arabian Peninsula and India. It was first described by Linnaeus in 1753 with the specific epithet taken from the Indian Malayalam names 'tiru' meaning "good" and 'kalli' a name for any of the various species of Euphorbia that were had some medicinal qualities.
We first got this cultivar from the late great plantsman, Gary Hammer, who brought a couple cuttings back from a trip to South Africa in the late 1980s and later dubbed the plant 'Sticks on Fire'. This plant has been popular ever since, particularly after people viewed a mass planting in the Central Garden at the Getty Center. We have also seen this name shortened by some nurseries to 'Firesticks' and it is has also been listed as Euphorbia tirucalli 'Rosea'. We have sold this plant since first offering it in 1995.
Information displayed on this page about Euphorbia tirucalli 'Sticks on Fire' is based on our research conducted about this plant in our nursery library as well as from information provided by reliable online resources. We also include our own observations made about it as it has grown in the nursery gardens and other gardens visited, as well how the crops of this plant performed in the containers in our nursery field. We will also include comments received from others and welcome hearing from anyone who has information about this plant, particularly if it includes cultural information aiding others to better grow it.
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