In 1887, Norwegian botanist Vahl named this plant Euphorbias Tithymaloides after a Greek word meaning fiery spine. The name devil’s backbone comes from the plant’s spiny appearance, which resembles a spinal zigzag column. Potential use of Pedilanthus tithymaloides Poit. Milan S - June 28, 2SHARE Devils Backbone Plant The approach of Halloween prompted this devilish article. Euphorbia Tithymaloides, also known as the Devil’s Backbone, is a succulent plant found in Southern Africa. 60_80☌) which was found to be comparable with gasoline.” Baby Devil’s Backbone plants are treated the same as adult. The new plants will need to be replanted in good houseplant potting soil. Moisten the perlite lightly until the stems begin to root. Put the cut end into a perlite pot after allowing it to callus for a few days. A white amorphous mixture of hydrocarbons was obtained by elution of the column by petroleum ether (b.p. Simply cut off a portion of the plant stem that is 4 to 6 inches long. It is a member of the Euphorbia family, which includes over 2,000 species of plants. Extracts were obtained from successive extraction of whole plant material with solvents like petroleum ether (b.p. Devil’s Backbone plant, also known as Euphorbia tithymaloides or Pedilanthus tithymaloides, is a succulent shrub native to Central and South America but is now widely cultivated across the world as an ornamental plant. Scroll down to see how they get gasoline from the Slipper Flower plant.īONUS GREEN FACTOID: “Pedilanthus tithymaloides was evaluated as an incessantly renewable and potential source of hydrocarbons.

The variegated form takes on a pinkish tint during cooler weather. Pedilanthus is available in two varieties, green and variegated. It has 1″ to 3″ long leaves and makes an excellent potted plant or low shrub.

Devil’s Backbone grows 2′ to 4′ tall and 2′ to 3′ wide. This subtropical succulent is a distant relative of poinsettias. Pedilanthus, literally “slipper flower”, are members of the Euphorbiaceae family. The thick branches and stems have a zig-zag pattern and produce. Pedilanthus fleshy bract-cups are shaped like pink slippers and are only open at the tip. The Devils Backbone plant is a shrub and may eventually reach three to four feet in height. Devil’s Backbone, Jacob’s Ladder, Slipper Flowerĭevil’s Backbone is a succulent shrub with thick zigzag stems native to dry tropical forests of Florida, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central and northern South America.

Devils backbone plant info