Euphorbia buruana | Marbled-segment spurge
€15,90
📍 It has a tuberous root about 10 cm in diameter. It is an easy-to-grow species and is endemic to Kenya and Tanzania.
🌱 Morphology
It looks like a small green marble sculpture that has grown from a root hidden underground. Its branches, twisted and slightly arched, are formed by swollen segments that narrow at the joints and feature striking yellowish-green oblique stripes, as if someone had painted strokes of light on them. When it grows into a clump, its branches overlap to create a compact, irregular, and extraordinarily sculptural structure.
It is a small perennial succulent, equipped with a large tuberous root about 10 cm in diameter and a very reduced subterranean stem. Numerous weakly erect branches arise from this storage organ, reaching up to about 30 cm in height, although they often grow semi-prostrate and can reach lengths of about 50–60 cm. They are simple or occasionally branched, grayish-green in color, with conspicuous, lighter oblique striations. They have three, occasionally four, deeply winged ridges and irregular segments separated by constrictions. The small tubercles on the ridges end in pairs of spines of highly variable length, approximately 1–20 mm, accompanied by tiny secondary spines. The leaves are tiny, triangular, and deciduous.
🌍 Distribution, habitat, and family
It is endemic to Kenya and Tanzania, where it is known from a relatively restricted area of East Africa. It grows among grasses on sandy soils, in open Acacia and Commiphora woodlands, at altitudes between approximately 600 and 1,100 m. It belongs to the Euphorbiaceae family. Kew currently recognizes Euphorbia buruana as an accepted species. Its conservation status is assessed as Vulnerable (VU) by the IUCN.
❄️ Temperature — USDA Zone 9a–11b
It tolerates minimum temperatures of down to −6.7 ºC occasionally, if it is completely dry, acclimatized, and protected from moisture. Tolerance of down to approximately −6 ºC has been documented, but this figure should not be interpreted as a safe cultivation temperature for prolonged periods.
☀️ Lighting
It requires very intense lighting, with a target of approximately 18–25 mol/m²/day of DLI PAR during active growth. It can be grown in full sun after progressive acclimatization. High light intensity intensifies the contrast between the grayish-green of the stems and their characteristic lighter striations, and promotes compact growth.
💧 Growth cycle and watering
Winter dormancy. During the growth period, it is recommended to water abundantly and allow the substrate to dry out completely before watering again. The tuberous root stores water, so any waterlogging must be avoided. As autumn approaches, watering is gradually reduced, and it is kept practically dry during the winter. In spring, watering is resumed gradually as temperatures rise and active growth begins.
🌸 Flowering
It produces small cyathia of approximately 4 × 6 mm, completely yellow, arranged in solitary and slightly branched inflorescences. The nectar glands are elliptical and are practically in contact with one another. The fruits are sessile, clearly trilobed capsules, about 4 × 6 mm, green with reddish tones along the sutures. In cultivation, flowering occurs mainly during the warm period.
🌿 Nutrition
During the active growth period, a fertilizer specific for succulents, with a high content of assimilable calcium, such as Desert CHOICE® Suculentas, is recommended, applied once a month when watering.
This is an inimitable xerophyte grown in Madrid in a high-tech square pot with substrate activated by mycorrhizal fungi.
📏 The sizes of our basic collection xerophytes are as follows:
S -> 9cm x 9cm
M-> 14cm x 14 cm
L-> 16cm x 16 cm
* As this is an online purchase, the appearance of the specimen sent may vary slightly from the product image. The measurements of the plant are specified in the photo description, but these may also vary slightly because, after all, it is a living being! Each of the plants at Desert CITY has unique characteristics.
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