Euphorbia characias (Mediterranean spurge)

2/24/2010 · San Diego (Quail) Botanic Garden, Encinitas, California · ≈ 10 × 8″ (24 × 20 cm) ID is uncertain

2/24/2010 · San Diego (Quail) Botanic Garden, Encinitas, California · ≈ 2½ × 1½′ (84 × 56 cm) ID is uncertain

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin)
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Rosidae	Roses, legumes, proteas, dogwoods, hydrangeas, mistletoes, euphorbias, grapes, many more
Order	Malpighiales	A broad group encompassing 16,000 species
Family	Euphorbiaceae	Euphorbia or spurge family
Genus	Euphorbia	An extremely diverse-looking genus of mostly tropical and subtropical succulent plants. For Euphorbus, corpulent Greek physician of Juba II, King of Mauretania. Literally, “euphorbia” means “well-fed”
Species	characias	Derived from the Greek word charakias, meaning “of or fit for a stake, pale or palisade