Euphorbia dregeana

Euphorbia dregeana is a succulent shrub branching much at the base into a multitude of erect green stems that radiate out from the centre to form a rounded bush.

The stems are spineless, smooth, often thicker than 2 cm across. Spineless here means not bearing spines or thorns as many euphorbias do and does not reflect on character at all. The stems are covered in markings all the way up to their tips, indicating where the small (8 mm long), short-lived leaves had fallen off.

Flowering stems are thinner, the flowers bunched at their tips. 

The plants grow in Namaqualand from Kamieskroon in the south, the Richtersveld and across the Gariep to Aus in Namibia.

The habitat is sandy or stony plains and slopes in arid conditions subject to temperature extremes. The species is not considered to be threatened in its habitat early in the twenty first century (Eliovson, 1972; http://redlist.sanbi.org).