Three Years in the Dark and Still Alive!

Almost four years ago, a crested euphorbia (Euphorbia lactea ‘Cristata’) I was growing toppled over, too top heavy for its small pot. I moved it away from the plant light it grew under and propped it up in a corner on a shelf in the storage area of my basement, figuring I’d get around to repotting it soon. Then a box was put in front of it (I’m sure how that happened) and the plant disappeared from sight. 

Out of sight, out of mind, they say. Well, in this case, they were right! I totally forgot about it. It spent a little over three years in the dark without a drop of water. Most of the time, the storage area is only lit indirectly by a few plant lights on the far side of the room and occasionally by a ceiling light if someone is looking for something down there, but behind a box as it had been, the plant would have been in total darkness essentially the whole three years.

Then I found it last September when I went looking for a bag of sphagnum moss (which I never did find).

Still Alive

Amazingly, the crested euphorbia looked perfectly fine. It was still dark green, just like when I stuffed it into its corner. It had put on no etiolated growth and seemed as plump as ever. (Plump in a hard way: this kind of euphorbia, with its nasty little spines, is not a plant you’ll be wanting to squeeze!) 

I quickly repotted it and moved to a sunny spot. 

Nothing happened. Through fall and winter, it didn’t react at all. I watered it modestly, so it was getting some water, but no growth was visible. I wasn’t even sure it was really alive: maybe it had died and had undergone some sort of plant mummification that kept it looking … well, not exactly alive, but not dead either.

Then, on the first day of spring, I could see from across the room something seemed different. A closer inspection showed that it was putting out tiny new leaves. Yes, it’s starting to grow again! Undoubtedly the lengthening days had told the plant it was time to wake up and get to business.

Don’t Do This at Home!

Now, I’m not recommending that you stick your crested euphorbia or any other plant in a dark corner for three years without watering it at all, but it would appear that this plant is much, much tougher than I would ever have thought.

It would certainly be a great plant choice for snowbirds*!

*Snowbird: person who migrates annually from colder climates to a tropical one for the winter, then back again in the spring.