Euphorbia species, a vingerpol

Several low-growing euphorbia species have been given the colloquial name of vingerpol (tuft of fingers) in Afrikaans, especially in the Karoo. They seem to require their winter rain and some of them may suffer when transplanted into a summer rainfall area. These plants usually have a below ground fleshy caudex that serves as a storage facility to resist challenges presented by the lengthy drought and high temperature periods common to the Karoo.

But suffering presents the challenge for a species to adapt. Only some succeed and it all takes a very long time. The tougher it gets, the more diversity becomes threatened with only the fittest surviving. The hardship humanity inflicts on top of the challenges of nature may thus also hold refining long term benefits for some species, extinction for others. Who will keep the long term scorecard and arrive at the prizegiving ceremony?