Species · genus Euphorbia · Euphorbiaceae

Caribbean Copperplant

Euphorbia cotinifolia L.

Also known as: Mexican Shrubby Spurge · Tropical Smokebush

Growth habit

shrub or tree

Native range

Bolivia, Brazil North, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico Central, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Northwest, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest, Netherlands Antilles, Nicaragua, Panamá, Peru, Southwest Caribbean, Suriname, Trinidad-Tobago, Venezuela

Euphorbia cotinifolia — reference photo — no rights reserved · CC0

Cultivars of E. cotinifolia

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

No named cultivars catalogued under E. cotinifolia 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 Tropical Euphorbia

Euphorbia cotinifolia is a shrub or small tree in the spurge family, grown for its foliage rather than showy flowers. It belongs to the vast Euphorbia genus, whose members range from annuals to succulents but share a milky sap and small flowers tucked into cupped bracts.

Source: RHS

Roots in Tropical America

This species is native to a broad swath of the Americas, from Mexico down through Central America and into countries such as Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Brazil, as well as parts of the Caribbean. It grows naturally in seasonally dry tropical settings, and has since been introduced well beyond its home range, into places such as India, Taiwan, and the Canary Islands. Historically it has also been put to use as a poison and as a medicine, and valued for environmental purposes.

Source: Kew

Shrub or Tree Habit

In its native seasonally dry tropical habitat, this Euphorbia takes the form of a shrub or a tree rather than a low succulent, setting it apart from many of its better-known relatives in the genus.

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 7-14d)
Humidity: ai:claude-opus-4-8
Soil: ai:claude-fable-5
Care: ai:claude-fable-5

Light

Direct sun

Water

≈ every 14 days

Humidity

Medium

Temperature

13–30 °C

Soil mix

Well-draining loamy mix that holds a little moisture

Propagation

Softwood stem cuttings

Fertilizing

Balanced feed monthly in spring and summer

Growth rate

Fast

Flowering

Grown for burgundy foliage; flowers are inconspicuous

ToxicityAuthoritative · species

Toxic to cats & dogs & humans

Euphorbiaceae produce a milky latex that is a skin and mucous-membrane irritant and toxic if ingested. 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 7-14d) · ai:claude-fable-5 · ai:claude-opus-4-8 (family inference)

Kept true by its growers

Every fact here carries its source. Grow Caribbean Copperplant 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.