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Euphorbia obesa is
a peculiar ball shaped succulent plant that
resembles a stone but
becomes taller with age.
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Description: It is a single-stemmed plant but
will sometimes
'branch' or sucker, creating very odd looking clusters of spheres. It can
grow to 20 cm in height with a diameter of 9 cm.
Note: As with all other Euphorbias,
when a plant get damaged it exudes a thick white milky sap known as
latex. This latex is poisonous and may irritate skin
Euphorbia obesa is a wonderful example of convergent
evolution. In fact it incredibly
resembles Astrophytum asterias.
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Female |
Male |
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Cultivation: It likes a sunny position, but
it can also be
grown outdoors where the frost is not too severe.
It can tolerate
temperatures down to -5°C (-10° if the roots are kept dry). It does best in
a mineral soil, but is tolerant of a wide range of soil types. Good
drainage is essential. Water sparingly during the summer months and keep
dry in winter. It is a slow-growing, long-lived plant, and once
established, it will be content in its position and with its soil for
years. It can tolerate moderate shade, and a plant that has been growing
in shade should be slowly hardened off before placing it in full sun, as
the plant will be severely scorched if moved too suddenly from shade
into sun.
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Propagation: It is propagated from seed sown during spring or
summer. Germination occurs within 3 weeks, but it can be reproduced by
cuttings as well (if available). Flowering can be achieved within 5-8
years.
Photo of conspecific taxa, varieties, forms and cultivars of
Euphorbia obesa.
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Family:
Euphorbiaceae
Common Names include: Sea Urchin, Baseball,
Vetmensie
Conservation status: Listed in
CITES appendix 2.
Origin:Euphorbia obesa is an
endemic species to the Northern Cape region of South Africa.
Habitat:These
hard-to-find
succulents are found growing in what are called the
Karoo
regions
within the Northern Cape.
Typically they are found growing under the protection of low
shrubs in
sandy soils,
in the presence of small boulders. It averages to be 300
– 900m above sea level, a place where there is no significant
frost.
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A female (seed-producing) plant with immature seeds |
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Euphorbia obesa is dioecious male and
female flowers occur on different plants in summer, so a male and a
female plant are needed for fecundation.
The female has three protruding stigma on which the pollen grains
stick, whereas the male has a hairy like center covered with yellow
pollen. Once pollinated the female plant produces fruit containing
3 seeds each. The tiny flowers are delicately scented.
A male (pollen producing) plant |
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Cultivation and Mail Sale 
