Euphorbia species do not have typical flowers with sepals and petals, as known from other plant species. What appears to be a flower with petals are in fact conspicuous and often brightly colored nectar glands and their flower-like appendages (e.g. the finger-shaped appendages of the nectar glands of Euphorbia globosa) or petal-like bracts (e.g. the striking red bracts of the poinsettia, Euphorbia pulcherrima).
The actual flowers are extremely reduced and consist of only the care ovary in the female flower and a single stamen in the male flower. Nonetheless, Euphorbia species successfully attract their pollinators with their specialized, colorful and shape-rich structures surrounding ovary and stamen – and they also attract our attention with their somehow otherworldly beauty.