Euphorbia limpopoana L.C.Leach ex S.Carter

Densely tufted succulent perennial to c. 45 cm high, with a short stem merging into a fleshy tuberous root and with numerous branches arising at or below ground level, sparsely rebranching to form a compact clump to 2 m diameter; branches succulent, to 50 cm long, 1-2 cm diameter, acutely 4-angled; angles shallowly sinuate with tubercle-teeth c. 1.5-2 cm apart, crowned by the spine shields. Spine shields narrowly obovate, to 12 x 2 mm, decurrent to halfway or sometimes almost touching the flowering eye below, brown becoming grey; spine pairs robust, 8-17 mm long, widely diverging; prickles 0.5-2 mm long. Leaves deltoid, 1 x 1 mm, deciduous. Cymes solitary, simple, subsessile; bracts oblong, c. 1.75 x 1.5 mm, shortly denticulate. Cyathia c. 3 x 5 mm, with cup-shaped involucres; glands transversely oblong, 1 x 2.75 mm, bright yellow, not quite touching; lobes rounded, 1 x 1.5 mm, denticulate. Male flowers: bracteoles 2.5 mm long, fimbriate; stamens with pedicels 3 mm long, filaments 1 mm long. Female flower: styles 3 mm long, joined at the base, apices minutely bifid. Capsule obtusely lobed, 3 x 4 mm, sessile, purplish. Seeds ovoid, 2.3 x 1.7 mm, tuberculate.