Euphorbia horrida is a spiny succulent shrub with irregular basally clumping stems. In age it will form tight clumps of upright columns up to a meter wide that closely resemble some cactus species. It also has clustered crowns of somewhat ferocious spines much like the true cacti.
Stem: 100 to 150 mm thick, up to 75 (150) cm tall, erect, cylindrical, blue-grey to grey-green and often with white stripes.
Ribs: 10 to 20, wing-like, prominent, deeply grooved between and more or less undulated
Spines: On the ribs there are 1-5 persistent peduncles, spiny and crowded together about 4-10 mm long and 1-4 formidable main spines up to 40 mm long and very rigid.
Leaves: Inconspicuous and ephemeral in the centre of the plant.
Peduncles: Solitary 4-8 mm tall, hairy with small bracts.
Flowers: Very small green-yellow solitary cyathia approx 4 mm in diameter. Involucre finely hairy with 5 glands and 5 large lobes. Pistil three-lobed. Involucres glands are green, blooms in summer.
Remarks: This plant is somewhat variable with many varieties and forms, and perhaps natural hybrids between it and taller Euphorbias.
Some of the information in this description has been found at desert-tropicals.com, llifle.com and cactus-art.biz
Bloom Season
Flower Color
Hardiness Zone
Mature Size
Sun Exposure
| Bloom Season | Springsummer |
|---|---|
| Botanical Name | Euphorbia horrida |
| Common Name | Baseball plant |
| Dormancy | Winter |
| Family | Euphorbiaceae |
| Flower Color | Greenyellow solitary |
| Growth Habit | Cylindrical, |
| Hardiness Zone | 8b |
| Mature Size | (150) Cm |
| Native Area | South africa |
| Resistance | 4°c |
| Sun Exposure | Full sun |
- Description
- Key Plant Features
Euphorbia horrida is a spiny succulent shrub with irregular basally clumping stems. In age it will form tight clumps of upright columns up to a meter wide that closely resemble some cactus species. It also has clustered crowns of somewhat ferocious spines much like the true cacti.
Stem: 100 to 150 mm thick, up to 75 (150) cm tall, erect, cylindrical, blue-grey to grey-green and often with white stripes.
Ribs: 10 to 20, wing-like, prominent, deeply grooved between and more or less undulated
Spines: On the ribs there are 1-5 persistent peduncles, spiny and crowded together about 4-10 mm long and 1-4 formidable main spines up to 40 mm long and very rigid.
Leaves: Inconspicuous and ephemeral in the centre of the plant.
Peduncles: Solitary 4-8 mm tall, hairy with small bracts.
Flowers: Very small green-yellow solitary cyathia approx 4 mm in diameter. Involucre finely hairy with 5 glands and 5 large lobes. Pistil three-lobed. Involucres glands are green, blooms in summer.
Remarks: This plant is somewhat variable with many varieties and forms, and perhaps natural hybrids between it and taller Euphorbias.
Some of the information in this description has been found at desert-tropicals.com, llifle.com and cactus-art.biz
Bloom Season
Flower Color
Hardiness Zone
Mature Size
Sun Exposure
| Bloom Season | Springsummer |
|---|---|
| Botanical Name | Euphorbia horrida |
| Common Name | Baseball plant |
| Dormancy | Winter |
| Family | Euphorbiaceae |
| Flower Color | Greenyellow solitary |
| Growth Habit | Cylindrical, |
| Hardiness Zone | 8b |
| Mature Size | (150) Cm |
| Native Area | South africa |
| Resistance | 4°c |
| Sun Exposure | Full sun |