Moving Plants With A Song

            There he goes again; the madman is moving his plants around. This time, there’s a bounce in his step and a song on his lips…” I like to move it, move it. I like to move it, move it. She like to move it, move it…” You may not recognize these words, but King Julien sang them in the animated movie Madagascar.

            Probably doesn’t mean anything to you, but I know that it’s a signal he’s sorting his plants by species. And he only does that when he’s ready for a show. Remember, in our last post, we told you he was treating all his plants like they are going to the flower show in Hartford. Well, he really is treating them that way even though he has not yet committed to going. So, how does Madagascar come into this?

Endemic to Madagascar

            It’s actually a long story, but I’ll give you the shortened version. Many years ago, we found ourselves in the exhibit area of the Connecticut Cactus and Succulent Society’s Annual Plant Show. When he reached the Euphorbia section, the madman stopped dead. Here, the plants were separated into two groups…Euphorbias endemic to Madagascar and Euphorbias non-endemic to Madagascar. There in the middle of the endemic section was his all-time favorite Euphorbia, E. milii. “Wow!” he said, “I never thought about where my plants came from – I just thought they grew in hot, dry climates.”

            So, what does endemic to Madagascar, or any other place for that matter, really mean? It means that a species naturally exists only in one specific place. What makes Madagascar so cool is that 80% of the island’s plant and animal species are endemic. Think about it, they grow naturally no place else on earth.

How Did This Happen?

            Madagascar is the fourth largest island in the world. Thanks to geologic changes in the earth’s crust Madagascar first parted with Africa, then, as time marched on broke away from India. For the last 88 million years, it has been marooned in the Indian Ocean, 250 miles off the coast of Africa, and evolution can have a picnic in 88 million years. Just ask the nearly 50 species of indigenous Lemurs (one of which is King Julien).

            Since Madagascar is a lot bigger than Block Island (our idea of an island), it has a much more varied climate. Two seasons are generally recognized; a hot rainy season from November to April, and a cooler dry season from May to October. The South-west corner of the island is semi desert while the east coast has subequatorial rain forests. The center of the island is mountainous with correspondingly cooler areas. These climate differences along with 88 million years of isolation can make for some rather interesting flora and fauna. Which takes us back to the Crown of Thorns (E. milii).

Thorns Add Charm For The Madman

            You can find Euphorbia species quite readily in Africa, but not the Crown of Thorns. When the madman first began growing E. milii, he didn’t know or care that it was endemic to Madagascar. You may recall that he just collected what he liked with no regard to a plant’s lineage. Pretty blooms or strange shapes caught his eye. These plants had all of that and more – thorns. The original E. milii from Madagascar were prostrate shrubs with red flowers. Actually, the madman will tell you that the colorful inflorescence is more than a flower. In fact, the flowers are the yellow centers, and the reds are bracts that will attract pollinators.

Commander Millius

            This plant grew happily on the island of Madagascar when noticed by Commander Pierre Bernard Baron Millius. He was so taken by the plant that he introduced it into French horticultural society in 1821, hence the name E. milii. Because the plant is so tolerant of a variety of conditions, it is grown in temperate climates throughout the world. But, it draws the line at 35˚ F. so it is a houseplant around here.

            Not only is it easy to grow, it is also easy to hybridize. And, plant breeders have introduced various sizes, colors and leaf variegations. More than enough to keep the madman happy.

No Thorns

            Then he stumbled upon a “thornless” Crown of Thorns! “The plant breeders really outdid themselves,” he thought. But, “thornless” Crown of Thorns would never do for his label. He needed the proper nomenclature, and there was no “thornless” E. milii in any reference source. What he had was an E. geroldii.

            The E. geroldii is truly a rare plant. It is native to the sandy coastal forests of Northeast Madagascar, where its habitat is severely threatened. At this point, the plant is considered Critically Endangered. Like its cousin E. milii, E. geroldii has shrub-like features and small red inflorescences (flowers). But its stems are thinner and smooth (no spines or thorns) and are somewhat darker brown. The leaves are a dark shiny green in contrast to E. milii’s lighter matte appearance. The madman has found that this plant is quite easy to propagate through cuttings, something he loves to do. I guess that’s why he has a bunch of them.

A Mystery Plant

            As we said before, the madman also likes to grow plants from seed. At one time, he bought a packet of Assorted Succulent Seeds and threw them in a flat that sat on a shelf in the greenhouse. To his surprise, some actually germinated, and he transferred them to individual growing pots. He definitely had an assortment – Ipomeas (Morning Glory), Adenium (Desert Rose), Beaucarias (Ponytail Palm) and one strange tree-like plant that occasionally lost its leaves. Just when he thought it was dead, the leaves would regrow. And every once in a while, he tried to identify it without much luck. But now, he thinks he may have it – while doing research on plants endemic to Madagascar, he stumbled upon a picture of E. hedyotoides.

Could It Be E. hedyotoides?

            The resemblance is remarkable, but until the plant flowers, he won’t say that’s what it is with any positivity. His excitement tells me he’s pretty sure of the identification. His plant is a branching shrub with clusters of thin pointy leaves. At its base, his plant is beginning to form a gnarly caudex typical of the species.

            Like his E. geroldii, the E. hedyotoides is on the endangered species list, mostly due to habitat loss on the island. This deciduous shrub grows near the forests in the southern part of Madagascar where it can reach five feet in height. But, it doesn’t look like your typical Euphorbia, in fact it doesn’t look succulent at all. As a root succulent, the E. hedyotoides stores water in an underground caudex rather than in its stems or its leaves. Although in nature, this caudex grows below the soil surface some plant collectors will raise the caudex above soil level in its pot for show. With its striking caudex E. hedyotoides is a valued specimen for bonsai.

I Like To Move It, Move It

            For now, the madman seems content to just move his plants around with his “like to move it” ditty. If COVID numbers continue to fall and his Madagascan favorites begin to join other succulents on the kitchen table, I’ll know it’s show time.

            But now it’s cocoa time.