Euphorbia stellispina young red spines

Euphorbia stellispina survives and thrives on arid land. The photo shown here was taken in January. The plant’s name is derived from the star-shape of the spines: stella meaning star and spina meaning spine in Latin.

New growth bears dull pink, five-pointed spine stars on thicker stalks emerging from the stem ridges on the cylindrical to club-shaped stems. Lower down the old spines are whitish grey. The spines are persistent cyathia peduncles or stalks.

The genus name has a quite illustrious origin: King Juba II of Numidia and Mauretania in the first century AD, a Berber and ally of the Romans, happened to be a learned man and author of many works in Latin or Greek on subjects including history, geography, archaeology and more.

One of his writings, a treatise on the virtues of a spurge of the Atlas Mountains names the plant Euphorbia in honour of his personal physician, Euphorbus. (An earlier Euphorbus was a hero from the battle of Troy, mentioned by Homer in the Iliad.)

The plant described by King Juba II, E. obtusifolia subsp. regis-jubae, retains the link today in its name (Frandsen, 2017; Smith, et al, 2017; Shearing and Van Heerden, 2008; Van Jaarsveld, et al, 2006; iNaturalist; Wikipedia).