| Life form | Tree, Shrub |
| Family | Euphorbiaceae |
| Origin and distribution | India, Sri Lanka, South China, Taiwan, South Japan, Southeast Asian countries, Papua New Guinea, Northern Australia, the Pacific Islands. In the genus, there are about 40 species. The most popular in the floriculture is the exoccariia of Cochin (Excoecaria cochinchinensis), named after its location: Cochin is the old name for the region of Vietnam in the Mekong Delta. The synonym is the exceciary or the “Chinese Croton”. A distinctive feature of this species is the red color of the underside of the leaves. In tropical countries, the variegated variety Firestorm (pictured above), which is often grown as a hedge, is common. |
| Ease of cultivation | Average |
| The size | At home, up to 1.5 m, in nature – a tree up to 15 m |
| Growth rate | At a young age, it grows quite slowly. When the root system is well formed, growth becomes more intense. |
| Lifespan | Perennial |
| Temperature | In summer, a high temperature of +77 to +86 ° F and high humidity are preferable. In winter, the temperature should be slightly lower (+ 57.2-64.4 ° F), the plant can withstand short-term frosts even up to 24.8 ° F. |
| Humidity | It is desirable to have high humidity and regular spraying, especially in hot conditions. |
| Lighting | A bright diffused light or a light penumbra is needed. Preferably the content in bright light: the direct sun in the morning and shading during the day on hot sunny days. Suitable south (with shading), west, east window. The Firestorm variety grows better in the summer in the shade. In winter, it is desirable to keep on the southern window. With a lack of light variegated leaves can become uniformly colored, and when the lighting excess they become brown shade. |
| The soil | The substrate must be loose, permeable and fertile, for example, from leaf land, sand and peat in a ratio of 2: 1: 1. pH in the range of 4.5-5.5 |
| Watering | Regular watering is required as the surface layers of the soil dry out. In summer, depending on the temperature, it should be more frequent, in winter – less often, when the soil has dried to half the depth. Do not pour cold water, it should be soft and steady. For a plant, both hollow drying and excessive watering with stagnant moisture are very harmful. |
| How to fertilize | During the growth period, every 2 weeks use a full mineral fertilizer. However, an excess of nitrogen can lead to a weakening of the color variability of the leaves. |
| Reproduction | Propagate by semi-woody cuttings and air layers |
| Bloom | It is used as a decorative plant. Forms spicate inflorescences of small flowers: male and female. |
| Transplant and care | Young plants are transplanted every year, adults – every 3, -4 years. The excretory can be grown in hanging baskets. Spring usually requires pruning for better branching, thickening and rejuvenation. |
| Difficulties | Among the pests, the most common is the mealybug. When grown in heavy soil, moisture stasis and root decay are possible. In this case, the leaves droop. In the heat in very bright light, the leaves turn brown and fall off at the bottom of the trunk. |
| Beneficial features | Different types of exococci are used in traditional medicine. The most famous is the exococcia argalochia or agallochoceous tree (Excoecaria agallocha) from which the healing oil is obtained. In Indonesia, it is used against dysentery, some skin diseases: eczema, neurodermatitis. In India, it is believed that the plant has an antiepileptic effect. Knownantiparasitic, antipruritic and hemostatic effect of the plant. Its latex is also mixed with coconut juice and used to treat pneumonia and asthma. Wood is used for making furniture. It is known that the juice of the agalochowa tree was used by the inhabitants of Malaysia to make poison for arrows and spears. |
| Toxicity | Despite the useful properties, exoccaria is poisonous. Her milky juice is especially dangerous. The generic name of “escocarya” is translated from Latin as “blinding”, since when juice enters the eye, temporary blindness occurs. Therefore, it is necessary to work with the plant very carefully. |
