Previous plant

Euphorbia platycephala

Next plant


The flowers by Ton Rulkens, Wikimedia.org.

Author: Ferdinand Albin Pax, 1894
Family:  EUPHORBIACEAE
Origin:  Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Zambia, Malawi, Tanzania
Soil:  Sand
Water:  Medium
Sun:  Maximum
Thickness:  4 Centimetres
Height:  35 Centimetres
Flower:  Green
Propagate:  Seeds/Cuttings
Names:  -
Synonyms:  Euphorbia uhelensis, Pax

This member of the Euphorbiaceae family was given this name by Ferdinand Albin Pax in 1894. It is found in Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Zambia, Malawi and Tanzania, growing in a well drained sandy soil with some water and lots of sun. The caudex can grow to four centimetres in diameter, 20 or even 30 centimetres long, the entire plant to 35 centimetres in above ground. The flowers are green.

The genera name; Euphorbia dates back to the first century BC, where King Juba II of Mauritania used it in a reference to his doctor, Euphorbos, and that name was kept as a generic name by Carl von Linnaeus. The species name from Latin: platy;  'wide' and Greek, cephala; 'head'.

It is said this plant is very sensitive to water while it is dormant. Keep it dry!