Euphorbia Mayurnathanii + Ercol

As you can probably tell if you have stumbled across this page, there is very little information online about this variety of Euphorbia, which is actually now believed to be extinct in the wild, though it does exist in cultivation.

My Euphorbia Mayurnathanii lives on my dining table in the living room. I have a few Euphorbia plants around the flat, and I think I’m drawn towards them because they are so sculptural and striking and to me, work brilliantly with mid century design! I took the photographs for this post on a sunny evening last week, when the table was in a blaze of light – I love the way the sun comes through the windows at this time of day. I think the plant makes a great centre piece for a table set up, and would love to see more people using greenery in their homes in this way.

I wanted to show the plant in situ and take a moment to talk a little about my dining table and chairs, because aside from being a plant obsessive, I absolutely love mid century design! One of the most well known names of this era is of course, Ercol, who made these pieces. I have been collecting a little over the last few years, but I must say that I think the chairs are some of my absolute favourite pieces. In case anyone else wants to know the actual product numbers – in the photograph is:

461 stacking chair (x2) / 376 windsor chair (crossed bars) / 391 windsor chair (straight bars) / 382 dining table.

CARE TIPS:

The main thing to note about these type of plants is that in order to care for it properly indoors, it does benefit from being in a sunny spot, indirect light is best but it will tolerate some direct sun. One of the best things to consider when caring for this Euphorbia is to avoid touching where possible – treat it like a sculpture! The milky latex inside the plant is poisonous and an irritant to skin so be very careful – when I was moving this from the garden centre I knocked one of the spikes on the boot of my car and saw the sap leak out. If this does happen, let it dry out on its own.

I water mine lightly every 7-10 days and feed around once a month during april – october with a light baby bio solution – too much feed can damage this type of plant. If at all possible, it also likes to be watered from below, so I keep mine in a plastic pot and carefully put it on a plate of tepid water. Otherwise, you can also water lightly around the edges, but sometimes you might find a dusting of mildew on top of the compost if you water in this way.

Photograph above: Urban Outfitters Regent Street

Hope you enjoyed this post, if you have any questions or comments, please contact me via Instagram and I will do my best to get back to you, my handle is: _houseplanthouse