Euphorbia neostapelioides | Monadenium stapelioides
€21,20
🌱 Morphology
It resembles a small colony of sea creatures that decided to grow on land: numerous fleshy stems emerge from a thick root and open up to form a dome, while its large, fleshy leaves appear at the ends like small green shovels. When the rest period arrives and the leaves disappear, the surprising architecture of the stems is revealed, covered by a succession of geometric tubercles.
It is a perennial succulent with a fleshy tuberous root, from which numerous cylindrical stems emerge, usually erect at first and capable of becoming decumbent with age. The stems reach approximately 30 cm in length and 1–2 cm in thickness, although they can form a clump up to 60 cm in diameter. They are covered by prominent tubercles, arranged in spiral series, which leave the leaf scars visible. The leaves are very fleshy, obovate to oblanceolate, up to about 5 × 1.5 cm, dark green and often with an attractive purple mottling or marbling. They are deciduous and concentrated towards the ends of the stems. It produces white latex when injured.
🌍 Distribution, habitat, and family
It is native to Kenya and Tanzania, with records also in Uganda. It grows at an altitude of approximately 525 to 2,125 m, among grasses on rocky ground and in open scrubland areas with acacias. It often forms dense groups. It belongs to the Euphorbiaceae family. The name Euphorbia neostapelioides was published in 2006; Kew currently considers it a synonym of Euphorbia succulenta var. succulenta, while Monadenium stapelioides is the historical name under which it has been cultivated for decades.
❄️ Temperature — USDA Zone 10a–11b
It tolerates minimum temperatures down to −1 ºC if kept completely dry, is well-acclimated, and exposure to cold is brief. During winter, it is advisable to protect it especially from humidity and prolonged frosts. Cultivation references place it in USDA 10a–11b.
☀️ Lighting
During active growth, it needs intense lighting, with an approximate goal of 18–25 mol/m²/day DLI PAR. It tolerates high light exposure, although it is advisable to acclimate it progressively to direct sun. Good lighting helps keep the stems compact and promotes intense leaf coloration.
💧 Growth cycle and watering
Winter rest.
During the active period, abundant watering is recommended, allowing the substrate to dry completely before watering again. In winter, it enters a semi-dormancy phase and loses a good portion of its leaves, so watering should be reduced considerably, keeping the substrate practically dry.
🌸 Flowering
The inflorescences appear near the ends of the stems, in small cymes of several cyathia. The floral structures feature greenish-white to pinkish bracts, often with deeper pink tones, and a characteristic red or maroon gland. Flowering occurs mainly during spring and early summer in cultivation. Afterwards, trilobed capsules form, containing pale gray seeds.
🌿 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 when watering.
This is an inimitable xerophyte grown in Madrid in a high-tech square pot with the substrate activated with mycorrhizal fungi and biofungicides.
10x10 cm gourmet black pot
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