Euphorbia ingens, a young plant

This young Euphorbia ingens shows healthy growth after transplanting into a Gauteng garden. Growth of E. ingens can occur fast in favourable conditions. The stems are straight and smooth.

There is a contrasting cultivar form of this plant around: The variety called E. ingens monstrose or monstrosa on the horticulture market comes with very knobbly or twisted stems. It also has some variegated colouring or grey and dark stem markings and is altogether a smaller plant. The new growth and spines of the monstrose plant are partly red (www.davesgarden.com).