Air-Purifying Devil's Backbone Succulent. Great Houseplant, Easy to Care For.
Air-Purifying Devil's Backbone Succulent. Great Houseplant, Easy to Care For.
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Plants depicted in photos are at maturity. We sell starter perennials shipped bare root, as plugs (young plants) or bulbs. Plugs are shipped trimmed to reduce stress during travel.
Indoor Houseplant
We dabble in house plants from time to time. This is one we took to the Northeast Plant Show in Syracuse on August 2. It was a big hit.
"Devil's Backbone" commonly refers to the succulent species Euphorbia tithymaloides, previously classified as Pedilanthus tithymaloides. It is a member of the Euphorbiaceae family, also known as the spurge family.
Appearance: It's a low-maintenance succulent known for its unique zigzagging stems that resemble a spine or backbone, giving it the characteristic name.
Other Names: It's also called Zigzag Plant, Redbird Cactus, Jacob's Ladder, Slipper Flower, Japanese Poinsettia, and more.
Leaves: It features small, lance-shaped leaves that can be green, variegated with white edges, and sometimes take on a reddish or pink tint in bright light or cool weather.
Flowers: While the plant does have true flowers, it also has red leaf bracts that are sometimes called "slipper flowers" due to their shoe shape. It generally flowers in mid-spring, although flowering indoors is less common.
Toxicity: All parts of the Devil's Backbone plant, including the roots, stems, and leaves, are toxic to pets (like dogs and cats) and humans if ingested. The milky sap can also cause skin irritation upon contact.
Growth: It can be grown indoors or outdoors in warm climates (USDA Hardiness Zones 9-11). Outdoors, it can grow up to 8 feet tall, while indoor plants typically reach 4 or 5 feet.
Care: It prefers bright, indirect light but can tolerate some direct sun (avoiding intense midday rays) and thrives in well-draining, sandy soil or a cactus/succulent mix. It's relatively drought-tolerant, so it's important to allow the soil to dry out between waterings to avoid root rot.
Benefits: Besides its ornamental value, it's known for being a low-maintenance plant and is believed to have air-purifying properties, filtering out toxins like formaldehyde and benzene.
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HOW it all works at Hosta king
Details about your order
Starter Perennials Shipped Trimmed
We sell starter perennials shipped bare root, as small plugs or bulbs. We do not ship in containers and we will often trim back growth on our perennial plugs to reduce stress on the plants during travel. Trimming does not hurt the plants. They'll bounce back with new growth. You'll receive your plants carefully wrapped and prepared for shipping in a box.
Plant Sizes
Starter perennials are smaller because they are young. Bare roots and bulbs speak for themselves. We have plug sizes ranging from 1-2 inches x 2-4 inches. These are not yet plants at maturity as seen in many of the photos on our store. We have photos of real starter plants on some listings and we are working to post more starter photos this year in 2026. We're adding plug sizes to the plant pages, too. Bear with us as we update all our plant detail pages so you are better informed. In the meantime, if you need more details or a photo of an actual starter, send us a message in our chat.
Delivery
Your order should arrive within 7-14 days. Occasionally, we may hold an order so that we can fulfill it with new inventory we are expecting to receive. Just send us a chat if you need a status update.
Store Credit for Replacements
Unfortunately, we do not do returns, refunds or offer warranties. It's hard to guarantee plant life indefinitely as there are so many variables outside our control once the plants leave our shop. However, we understand there will be times when our plants just don't do very well on the trip from our shop to your location. If there are any issues with plants when you receive them, send us a chat message from our website. We can issue store credits covering the cost of replacements.
Just keep in the mind these are starter plants, so they're small. We do not sell and ship mature plants in containers. See the details under our Starter Perennials Shipped Trimmed section, if you haven't already. Questions? Hit us up in the chat.
Cost to Ship
Shipping fees are as follows:
- $8.99 for orders up to $39.99
- $13.99 for orders between $40 and $79.99
- $19.99 for orders between $80 and $119.99
- $25.99 for orders between $120 and $159.99
- $31.99 for orders between $160 and $199.99
- $37.99 for orders between $200 and $239.99
- $43.99 for orders between $240 and $279.99
- FREE for orders $280 or greater