Crown of Thorns...What Can I do?

Hello! I have a really, really old Crown of Thorns. I aquired it from a household auction...this lady (who had died) had a few straggly plants left and in dire need of a good home and TLC. Among them was this little Euphorbia, that had barely a leaf on it. The soil in these plants was AWEFUL, gray, dry, powdery, with tons of crystals built up in and around the pot rims. Lucklity most were cacti/succulents and tolerated the neglect decently. Anyhow, I've done everything I can think of for this little guy. I know the lady must've had it for a long time, judging from the pot and soil, and now I've had it for about four years. It's doing okay...but it's grown so preciously little in a long amount of time...it practically just sits there! It loses it leaves sometimes but then it grows them back. Last fall I did notice it had put on about 1/4 inch of new growth on the stem tips, and that is the ONLY growth I've seen in 4 years! (I was so excited I almost did the happy dance!) It never flowers, of course. I see euphorbs at the local H Depot/Lowes store and they have BIG leaves and flowers....and there mine is, tiny little leaves and practically dormant, aside from new leaves to replace the old that turn yellow and drop off sometimes. All of my other plants THRIVE, grow, flower, reproduce, etc...so what am I doing wrong? And yes, I even tried a little fertilizer periodically, diluted as to not shock it. The other plants, by the way, are great! There were 3 or 4 cacti which are thriving, and the only casualty I had was a beautiful rope hoya that caught a horrible case of mealy bugs....and unfortunately the mealy bugs won out. :( I would loooove to try another (now that there are NO MORE buggies around....we live in a different house, even! LOL) Anyone have any cuttings, btw? So...any advice on how to make this little guy grow??? Not that I mind having it as sort of a neat little bonsai specimin (LOL) but a little growth and maybe some posies would be nice! :) I'll try and attach a picture, sorry in advnce if it's not the best quality or if it turns out sideways!

-gt-

Very sad little plant! I'd try taking it out of that big pot and inspecting the root system, it may be the pot's too big, and all of its energy is going into trying to fill the pot with roots. Its not a crown of thorns though, but I don't know what it is.

Not a crown of thorns, you say? Hmmm....it has thorns like one, I thought maybe it was a just a different 'type' than they sell in the store. Since that pic was taken I do have it in a smaller pot (the terra cotta seemed to suck up the water too fast and the leaves drop when it gets too dry, plus I though the pot was too big anyhow). Thanks for the input! :)
-gt

Looks kind of like a jade?

MKJ

This is a crown of thorns, albiet healty - http://davesgarden.com/pf/showimage/22487/ - yours has a different shaped stem, thorns or no. It could very well be a type of jade mkjones. Are the leaves thick?

The leaves aren't really succulent like a jade. The trunk is most tree-like, very "barky" (unlike the stem in the above picure), but does have spines just the same. The leaves are similar but more oval and not as long. It could be a Jade? They grow extremely slowly, too, so maybe......?

Well, if it hasn't been too long since you transplanted, I'd just give it some TLC, a bright but not sunny position, some dilute fertilizer (1/4 of what the pkg directs) every 2-3 wks, don't let it dry out too much and see if that helps. Spring itself sometimes brings healing to indoor plants. It does have a stem similar to a jade, but jade leaves are thicker, more fleshy. If that helps it recover some, then take another picture and try to ID it in the identifcation forum. I'll have my fingers crossed for your little fella!!

I happen to be looking for an Euphorbia geroldii, a relative of the Crown of Thorns, a few days ago. I came across the enclosed link. It includes photos of the most common Euphorbias. With luck you may find your plant among them. Happy hunting.

http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/Euphorbiaceae/Euphorbia.html

BettyDee

How about Portulacaria afra?

Thanks, RUK! But it has spines on the trunk and the leaves aren't fat n juicy like a succulent, just "normal". Right shape, tho'!!!

Bettydee, that's an awesome link!!! I looked thru them all but I still didn't find it. :( There's some kickass stuff there, though!!! Makes me want to add some of them to my want list (when I ever get around to updating it, *sigh*).

Ceedub, it's been in the new pot almost a year now, but it didn't seem to make too much difference, though it seems happy enough. It just doesn't (seem to) grow (much at all)!!! The leaves are a nice emerald green and thicker than in the picture (it had dropped some when I took that I think). I don't think it's sick exactly, maybe it's just a *really* slow grower...and that's why I wish I knew what kind it is, for sure. :( I'll have to try and remember to snap a better pic or two to repost, maybe with more detail showing.

Thanks everyone! Keep guessing. :)