Euphorbia pulvinata aka Pincushion Euphorbia

Euphorbia pulvinata is a succulent subshrub. It belongs to the Euphorbiaceae family. Its common name is pincushion euphorbia. It comes from South Africa and Lesotho. It grows in the Drakensberg, Free State, KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo. Kew places it in desert or dry shrubland. LLIFLE also lists flat plains of gypsum, limestone and silt. Some sites get much rain, and snow falls at times. These records show that its wild home is not always dry.

The plant forms clumps of small, spiny heads. Many branches grow from the base to form dense cushions. The smaller form is the one most often grown. Its cushions reach about 1 foot [0.3 metres] high. When grown, compact heads seldom exceed 0.4 feet [0.12 metres]. Other wild forms have fewer stems and reach 3.3 feet [1 metre]. Large cushions may reach 4.9 feet [1.5 metres] high and wide, or more. Several plants can join into masses 9.8 feet [3 metres] across. Such a mass does not show one plant's spread. Form varies within wild groups and from one group to another.

Young stems are round but grow more column-shaped with age. They are green and smooth, with seven to ten angles. Broad grooves lie between the angles. These grooves flatten as the stems age. Each tip is blunt, with a slight dip at its centre. Stems bear small, narrow leaves with sharp points. The leaves fall and leave tiny white scars behind. Most branches thus look bare apart from their spines. These spines are not leaves. They are sterile flower stalks that have changed in form. Their colour shifts from white to purple with the season. They sit at uneven gaps along the stem angles.

Male and female flowers grow on separate plants. Small flower structures called cyathia form groups near branch tips. Their dark red-purple cups have five lobes and nectar glands. Male cups are a little larger than female cups. The fruit is a small capsule with three blunt angles. It holds smooth, pale brown seeds shaped like eggs or pears. The dense, branching shape gives the plant its pincushion name. Its compact form and spines are its main points of visual interest. The supplied species sources give no firm time for bloom. Nor do they give garden care or safety guidance for this species.