Euphorbia Flower Structure

• The showiest portion of Euphorbia plants is not the flower itself.Ryan McVay/Photodisc/Getty Images
  
  Green cup-shaped structures called cyathia are surrounded by often showy bracts. Each individual cyathium is a flower cluster composed of male and female parts. A single stamen comprises the male structure. A single ovary, or pistil, on a stalk called a pedicel is the female portion. The pistil is either hidden inside the cyanthium or protruding out of it, depending on the plant. One or more often ornate nectar glands at the rim of the cyathium attract insect pollinators. In some species, petallike bracts (petaloid appendages) surround the nectar glands.
  
  

Poinsettia Plants

• Showy modified leaves give poinsettias the appearance of having large flowers.Brand X Pictures/Brand X Pictures/Getty Images
  
  Poinsettia plants decorate homes -- and gardens where adapted -- during the winter. Bright, showy plants display modified leaves in various shades of red, pink or coral, which are often mistaken for flowers. A close examination reveals several cyathia, each with a visible cluster of the male flower stamens. Hidden within each cyathium is the female flower containing a single ovary. A single moist, greenish-yellow nectar gland protrudes from the rim of the cyathium. The colorful leaves attract pollinators.
  
  

Garden Euphorbias

• Widely adaptable Euphorbia myrsinites is native from southern Europe through Asia. This is a subject for the rock garden, growing to 6 inches high with a trailing habit, its stems rising at the tips. In late winter, clusters of chartreuse or yellow structures atop the stem ends complement the greenish-blue evergreen foliage. E. characias is a Mediterranean native perennial with clumps of upright stems forming a bush 4 feet high and wide. Lime-green to chartreuse clusters appear in spring. Tasmanian Tiger grows to 3 feet tall. Humpty Dumpty is shorter still, at 2 1/2 feet.
  
  

Potted Euphorbia Plants

• Several Euphorbia plants are suitable subjects for container cultivation. Euphorbia "Diamond Frost" provides a display similar in appearance to baby's breath, with small, white snowflakelike flower structures interspersed among olive-green foliage. It is decorative in pots and hanging baskets, blooming year-round in warm climates, otherwise in spring and fall. E. milii are woody shrubs, commonly called crown of thorns, from Madagascar. The plant grows 1 to 4 feet high, with showy red bracts displayed year-round. Hybrids are available with yellow, pink or orange bract colors. The Supergrandiflora series of hybrids are especially showy.