Euphorbia stellispina

Water:

April-September: 1 x every 2 weeks*

October-March: 1x per month *

*This is only for a sunny location

Light: sunny

Nutrition: 1x per month (May-September)

The Euphorbia stellispina is a beautiful spurge that occurs naturally in the Cape Province of South Africa. This plant has a very wide distribution area that extends from central Karoo to parts of Namaqualand, from Beaufort West to Williston in the Great Karoo and further west and north.

Here, the Euphorbia stellispina grows on dry, rocky slopes and plains on deep soils, often protected under Karoo shrubs. The plant must endure extreme temperature differences, up to 45°C in summer, but can also survive relatively low winter temperatures of -5°C. This makes it a strong plant that can withstand a lot.

The Euphorbia stellispina is a spiny succulent shrub that branches from the base. The plant can form massive, impressive clumps with up to twenty branches. These branches are heavily armed with red-brown spines. What is special about this plant are the spines themselves. They have a striking star-shaped appearance that is very characteristic of this species. This star-shaped spine pattern gives the plant its unique appearance.
The plant produces white latex sap which helps the plant to reduce water loss, especially during the very hot summer months. This adaptation makes it possible to survive in the arid Karoo.

The Euphorbia stellispina flowers with cyathia, specialized inflorescences, which appear singly or in groups at the ends of the branches in the leaf axils. Pollination is mainly done by bees and sometimes by wasps.