Euphorbia tuberosa different appearance

There was a time when the Euphorbia tuberosa plants bearing long, narrow, crisped-margin leaves ending in acutely pointed tips used to be called E. crispa. Not any longer, although some are persisting with this name as the two forms of the plant differ markedly in appearance.

Some Little Karoo and far southwesterly Western Cape plants have grey-green leaves that are shorter, smooth, folding in or flattish with red margins, very unlike what is pictured here. The plant seen here will almost never be confused with E. silenifolia, while the Little Karoo form is similar to that plant.

Other plants bearing this name in the south often have shorter, flatter, round-tipped leaves. Both the northerly and southerly forms grow from subterranean tubers, the flowering clusters appearing among the leaf rosettes at the tips of prostrate stems. Neither form is ever bothered with much height.

One could easily miss them and step on these pretty shapes, although the colour contrast between yellow-green and deep maroon is eye-catching, possibly only face-saving as some trampling will deface the above-ground parts and kill some flowers but have little effect on next year’s growth (Grenier, 2019; Frandsen, 2017; Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2015; Manning and Goldblatt, 1996; iNaturalist).