Euphorbia pithyusa

Perennial of the Euphorbiaceae family, the spurge of the Pithouses is a western Mediterranean species, whose range mainly covers Corsica, Sardinia, the Balearic Islands, and a few stations on the Provençal and Ligurian coasts. It is considered a Tyrrhenian endemic species in the broad sense. It grows on maritime rocks, coastal cliffs, coastal garrigues, and consolidated sands, always on well-drained substrates and in very sunny exposure.

It forms dense and compact bushes in a rounded dome, semi-woody at the base, 20 to 50 cm in height, with numerous erect stems very close to each other, giving the plant a full and architectural silhouette immediately recognizable. The leaves are narrowly linear to lanceolate, glaucous green to blue-green, very close and overlapping along the entire length of the stems.

The floral umbels bear characteristic yellow-green bracts, grouped in terminal corymbs that punctuate the top of the dome. In its natural environment, its flowering extends from March to June depending on the stations and exposure.

In cultivation, it requires rigorous drainage, poor and dry soil, and full sun exposure. Its cold resistance is moderate, and it is particularly suitable for seaside gardens or Mediterranean-inspired rock gardens. Like all spurges, its latex is irritating.