Euphorbia clava

Euphorbia clava, commonly known as the club spurge and previously as E. canaliculata and E. coronata respectively, is a spineless, erect stem succulent. Heights to 1 m, sometimes even 1,5 m are reached when challenged by surrounding thicket, while it may remain only 20 cm tall when growing unencumbered in the open.

The single or sparsely branched stem is covered in shallow, hexagonal tubercles, their colour varying between dark green to dull or pale green, sometimes marked purple or becoming pale grey as chlorophyll is lost lower down. The specific name, clava, is a Latin word meaning club or knotty branch, referring to the stem-shape.

The species distribution is primarily in the Eastern Cape as far east as King William’s Town and west into the Western Cape to Knysna, but sightings as far west as Worcester are on record.

The plant typically grows in succulent scrub, Albany thicket and fynbos. It is often found on stony slopes in semi-arid and karoid conditions. The species is not considered threatened in habitat early in the twenty first century (Smith, et al, 2017; Bond and Goldblatt, 1984; Gledhill, 1981; iNaturalist; iSpot; http://redlist.sanbi.org).