A succulent from Sonora and Baja California that forms a tight clump of upright, pencil-thick, lime-green stems with almost no leaves. Through the warm season, small red to pink flowers shaped like a slipper appear at the stem tips and bring in hummingbirds. Its clean vertical lines work in both desert and more tropical-looking gardens.
Living with it in the Phoenix Valley
Watering
Follow the shrub, groundcover and succulent schedule in our Landscape Care guide. It is drought tolerant but fuller and more floriferous with water in late spring and summer. Keep it on the dry side in winter, and make sure the soil drains well.
Pruning
Remove frost-damaged or old, woody stems at the base once frost danger has passed. Wear gloves and eye protection, since cut stems bleed milky sap.
Cold
Freezes can burn the stem tips. Plant it in a warm spot near a wall, or cover it on frosty nights. Damaged clumps generally grow back in spring.
How our designers use it
Hummingbird garden
Its summer flowers fill a gap when many desert shrubs have stopped blooming.
Containers
The upright, tidy stems make it a strong choice for pots on a patio or beside an entry.
Vertical contrast
Our designers use it to add a fine, upright texture next to rounded agaves and barrels.
Good to know
Sap
Like its euphorbia relatives, it bleeds a milky sap when cut or broken. Some people are sensitive to it, so wear gloves and keep it away from eyes.
Around the pool
It has no spines and drops very little, so it is an easy plant near the water. Place it where pruning cuts won’t drip sap onto the deck.
