“Lady Slipper”
The Pedilanthus macrocarpus, commonly known as Lady Slipper, is a slow growing plant that is part of a small genus within the Euphorbiaceae family. It is heat and drought tolerant, making it an ideal succulent for California’s dry climate.
When planted among globular and pad-stemmed cacti, its pipelike stems and lime green color well-complement the various shapes of cacti and other succulents. It looks especially nice planted in linear groupings. It is also looks good and does well in pots.
The P. macrocarpus can take full sun, however, in full sun the stems can change from their characteristic lime green color to a yellow. They do best in dappled shade. When planted in full sun, the stems remain upright; in shade the stems arch and curve, actually adding even more interesting contrast to surrounding plants. In the summer, red cyathia, supposedly shaped like a lady’s slipper, appear on the stems. (I’ve looked at the cyathia from every angle and I just don’t see any slipper resemblance!) Hummingbirds love the cyathia.