Euphorbia pillansii stems

The yellow-green stems of Euphorbia pillansii with some red along the ridges as in the photo may also be grey-green. The stems have seven to nine vertical ridges and branch only little, at the base and higher up. Stem or branch diameter ranges from 3 cm to 6 cm, the tips rounded and ridged or angled more than the low stem parts. Stems may be horizontally banded in shades of green.

Only some of the spines are branched, typical of this plant. E. pillansii is a close relative of E. stellispina, a bigger plant with more stem ridges and more consistently branched spines. The spines on the stem ridges are the dried and hardened remains of old flowers or cyathia.

The little leaves grown at the E. pillansii stem-tips become only about 2 mm long. They are only seen for a short while as they drop off soon (Frandsen, 2017; Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2015; Bond and Goldblatt, 1984; iNaturalist).