Euphorbia esculenta

[peter831shaw]

This older plant was showing signs of N deficiency and had not been repotted for years. It took some time to get it out of its pot.

The roots are interesting that's for sure.

Anyone rooted cuttings off of the side stems?

[kohinoor]

these tentacle can take root like any other normal Euphorbia.
But they will spent their entire life stay as single tentacle and not grow into medusa-like plant.

I heard that if you cut these rooted tentacle from base the new spurt from stump has chance become medusa-like .
Never tried personally though.

[ralphrmartin]

Esculenta implies it's edible - although given that most Euphorbia are poisonous, you'ld have to be brave to try it. Perhaps it was not humans for whom it was esculent...

[Ali Baba]

Edible to cattle I think, according to the internet

[Terry S.]

I would be tempted to cut off the piece of root on the right hand seed of the photo and see if it could be used as a root cutting. Trim it off just above the fat portion and put the cut surface at compost level. I have done this with pieces of Horea Pelargonium, geophytic Othonna, Dioscorea hemicrypta and Pachypodium succulentum.

[Phil_SK]

Esculenta implies it's edible - although given that most Euphorbia are poisonous, you'ld have to be brave to try it. Perhaps it was not humans for whom it was esculent...

Or maybe you need to cook it. Manihot esculenta, also of the Euphorbiaceae, is poisonous raw but feeds the best part of a billion of our number.