Botanical name |
Euphorbia excelsa |
Other names |
Olifants River euphorbia; olifantsriviernaboom (Afrikaans) |
Family |
Euphorbiaceae |
Dimensions |
A spiny, succulent tree of occasionally up to 10 m in height with a compact rounded crown of stem tips |
Description of stem |
Vertical ridges occur on the single erect stem, indicating where the branches had fallen; whitish bark longitudinally fissured on the main stem among the young stem branches; the young stems are quadrangular, curving up in a regular candelabrum fashion, yellow-green to blue-green, smooth surfaces with sharp spines on the four ridges; they emerge in a whorl or regular ring at regular intervals along the stem; they are narrowed at regular intervals corresponding with the growth season length added |
Description of leaves |
Absent as the rudimentary leaves fall early |
Description of flowers |
Greenish-yellow occurring in summer into autumn; the four bracts on the cyme stalk are distinctive of this species as the other tree euphorbia species have only two |
Desciption of seed/fruit |
Three-lobed capsule from the end of summer and in autumn |
Description of roots |
|
Variation |
|
Propagation and cultivation |
|
Tolerances |
Drought resistant |
Uses |
Occasional garden plant |
Ecological rarity |
Not threatened in its habitat, although only occurring in a limited area |
Pests and diseases |
|
Other |
|
Location |
Dry rocky slopes in summer rainfall areas |
Distribution (SA provinces) |
Limpopo |
Country |
South Africa |