Euphorbia pseudoglobosa | False Euphorbia globosa
€127,20
🌱 Morphology
It looks like a small colony of living stones that decided to take root underground. Most of the plant remains hidden, with only the tips of its stems protruding from the substrate, forming a small rosette of green, globose, or cylindrical bodies that are easily confused with the surrounding rocks. Its appearance varies greatly depending on the specimen: some plants form true spheres while others develop more elongated segments, but all retain that surprising appearance of a plant attempting to vanish into its own landscape.
It is a dwarf succulent, almost a geophyte, whose main stem and tuberous root form an underground organ from which several clustered stems emerge. The segments can be globose, cylindrical, or finger-like, approximately 1.2–2.5 cm in diameter, with 5–8 ribs and small, barely visible tubercles. The stems can be practically smooth or feature straight, rigid spines about 5–20 mm long, initially green or reddish and later turning gray as they dry. The leaves are tiny, deciduous, and appear on new tubercles. It is a dioecious species: there are separate male and female plants.
🌍 Distribution, habitat, and family
A species of the Euphorbiaceae family endemic to South Africa, restricted to the Western Cape province, especially the Klein Karoo and nearby areas. It lives on rocky slopes and surfaces, on schist, quartz, and alluvial deposits, in semi-arid and arid shrubland environments. Kew currently recognizes three subspecies: E. pseudoglobosa subsp. pseudoglobosa, subsp. nesemannii, and subsp. vlokii.
❄️ Temperature — USDA Zone 9b–11b
It tolerates minimum temperatures down to −4 ºC when completely dry, well-acclimated, and for brief episodes. Actual resistance depends heavily on the plant's condition and substrate moisture, so cold combined with humidity should be avoided.
☀️ Lighting
During active growth, a DLI PAR of 18–25 mol/m²/day is recommended, with intense light and direct sun once acclimated. Good exposure encourages compact growth and helps keep the stems short and well-colored. If grown in shade, adaptation to direct sun should be done gradually to prevent burns.
💧 Growth cycle and watering
Winter dormancy. During the active growth period, it is recommended to water abundantly and allow the substrate to dry out completely before watering again. The rest period must be much drier, especially in low temperatures. Its large tuberous root acts as a storage organ and allows it to withstand periods of drought.
🌸 Flowering
The small cyathia appear near the ends of the stems, usually solitarily. They are green and approximately 3–4 mm in diameter, with five deeply toothed lobes. The species is dioecious and flowering can occur in autumn, when the tiny inflorescences stand out against the stems that barely protrude from the ground.
🌿 Nutrition
During the active growth period, a specific fertilizer for succulents with a high content of assimilable calcium, such as Desert CHOICE® Succulents, is recommended, applied once a month during watering.
This is an inimitable xerophyte grown in Madrid in a technological square pot and with the substrate activated with mycorrhizal fungi and biofungicides.
📏 Gourmet xerophyte in a 30 cm pot
* As this is an online purchase, the appearance of the sent specimen may vary slightly from the product image. The photo description specifies the plant's dimensions, but this 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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