Canary Islands Flora Garden

Euphorbiaceae

Euphorbia mellifera Aiton

Monteverde spurge, mountain oleander, wild spurge, filga

A tree-like plant that can reach up to 12 m in height. Its stems are thornless, and the young shoots are green and slender, forming a crown atop a main stem. The leaves are arranged in rosettes at the branch tips, are dark in color, and range from oblong-lanceolate to oblong-elliptic. Cyathia, with red nectaries, are arranged in terminal panicles that, upon maturation, develop into a three-valved capsule. It is endemic to Macaronesia.