Species · genus Euphorbia · Euphorbiaceae

Little Bird Flower

Euphorbia bracteata Jacq.

Also known as: Slipper Plant · Slipper Flower · Tabasco Slipper Plant

Growth habit

semisucculent shrub

Native range

Mexico Central, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Northwest, Mexico Southwest

Euphorbia bracteata — reference photo — no rights reserved · CC0

Cultivars of E. bracteata

The named forms growers keep — each with its own page, each honest about how much we know.

No named cultivars catalogued under E. bracteata yet. When growers document a stable, named form, it earns its own page here.

Guide

The species-level account. Cultivar pages build on this and say where they differ.

A Mexican Euphorbia

Euphorbia bracteata, sometimes still sold under its old name Pedilanthus bracteatus, is a member of the sprawling Euphorbia genus, a group of milky-sapped plants that range from annuals to shrubs to succulents. This particular species goes by the common name candellila.

Source: RHS

Rooted in Mexico's dry country

This is a Mexican native, found across the central, northeastern, northwestern, and southwestern parts of the country. It grows as a semi-succulent shrub, at home in desert and dry shrubland habitats. The species was first described by Jacquin in 1798.

Source: Kew

Care recipe

The species record — the baseline every cultivar inherits unless it says otherwise.

Care notes are early — not yet verified

Light: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Water: ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 10-21d)
Humidity: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Soil: ai:claude-fable-5
Care: ai:claude-fable-5

Light

Bright, indirect

Water

≈ every 21 days

Humidity

Low — average room

Temperature

13–29 °C

Soil mix

Gritty, fast-draining cactus and succulent mix

Propagation

Stem cuttings, dried to callus before rooting

Fertilizing

Dilute balanced feed monthly through spring and summer

Growth rate

Moderate

Flowering

Small bright bracts appear in warm bright spots

ToxicityAuthoritative · species

Toxic to cats & dogs & humans

Euphorbiaceae produce an irritant milky latex that can harm skin, eyes, and mucous membranes. This is where toxicity lives: every cultivar of this species inherits it and none can override it.

Reference images

Every image credited. Licenses link to their deeds.

Sources: ai:claude-opus-4-8 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (range 10-21d) · ai:claude-fable-5 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (family inference)

Kept true by its growers

Every fact here carries its source. Grow Little Bird Flower yourself? What you’ve observed — how it drinks, how it holds its color, a name that’s off — and a clear photo of your plant are exactly what keep this page honest. Contributions are reviewed before anything changes.