Euphorbia confinalis

Euphorbia confinalis, the Lebombo naboom or Lebombo candelabra tree, is a tree growing many green, succulent stems in a candelabra-like crown formed by the erect or upcurving upper branches or stems. The tree becomes up to 10 m in height (SA Tree List No. 345). The sturdy main trunk becomes rough, gnarled and greyish. It may branch, forming a few thick lower stems, each topped by a rounded candelabra crown.

The green, spiny stems are four-angled, sometimes one angle more or one less, each stem 4 cm to 7 cm in diameter. The stems are constricted at intervals, all vertical in their upper parts. The slender spines along the ridges are paired, grown upon horny pads or shields that are usually spaced. The spines become up to 6 mm long.

The inflorescences on upper, young stems are greenish yellow, growing in groups of three along the ridges, just above the spines. The central flower of each group is male, the lateral ones bisexual. The long-stalked fruit is a three-lobed capsule that is red and dehiscent when ripe. It is about 1 cm in diameter.

The species distribution in South Africa is in the Mpumalanga and Limpopo Lowveld, as well as in Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

The habitat is rocky slopes, mainly of the Lebombo Mountains and on flats in deep alluvial soils. The species is not considered threatened in habitat early in the twenty first century (Frandsen, 2017; Smith, et al, 2017; Coates Palgrave, 2002; Schmidt, et al, 2002; Van Wyk and Van Wyk, 1997; iNaturalist; http://redlist.sanbi.org).