Crown of thorns (Euphorbia milii)

Kaktus giwang or crown of thorns (Euphorbia milii) is a species of plant in the Euphorbiaceae, a sub-shrub or shrub, woody succulent, erect, up to 1.8 meters high, thorny stems dense, straight and slender, up to 3 cm long to help creep over the plant other.

E. milii has leaves at the tips of new shoots, oval in shape, green, thick and fleshy. Flowers have a pair of conspicuous petal-like bracts, red or pink or white, up to 12 mm wide.

Crown of thorns grows at 4-40C in open, sunny but tolerant of little shade and low rainfall.

It is widely used as an ornamental and medicinal plant. Flowers are used to treat uterine bleeding, stem shoots for hepatitis, leaves for burns and stems for ulcers.

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Malpighiales
Family: Euphorbiaceae
Subfamily: Euphorbioideae
Tribe: Euphorbieae
Subtribe: Euphorbiinae
Genus: Euphorbia
Subgenus: Euphorbia
Section: Goniostema
Species: Euphorbia milii
Subspecies: Euphorbia milii ssp. bevilaniensis
Variety: Euphorbia milii var. hislopii, Euphorbia milii var. longifolia, Euphorbia milii var. milii, Euphorbia milii var. roseana, Euphorbia milii var. splendens, Euphorbia milii var. tenuispina, Euphorbia milii var. vulcanii

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