Euphorbia stellispina stem top

Close inspection of this currently growing Euphorbia stellispina stem top shows the central area without spines. The dry and whitish star-shaped spines with four or five stubby spreading points are ageing outside the area of new growth. These spines are not as regularly shaped as one might have thought when looking from a distance.

Tiny, short-lived leaves are present in the central stem top area where the stem ridges converge. White dots show where the leaves have dropped off on the segments in the intermediate section between leaves and spines. The stem ridges are narrow, tapering to the centre, each comprising short segments fitting tightly at regular angles next to their neighbours in the adjacent rows (Frandsen, 2017; Smith, et al, 2017; Shearing and Van Heerden, 2008; Van Jaarsveld, et al, 2006; iNaturalist).