Euphorbia natalensis Bernh. ex Krauss

Perennial; stems several from a woody rootstock, 1/2-1 1/2 or rarely up to 2 1/4 ft. high, simple or with a pair or whorl of 3-4 branches near the top, woody below, densely leafy above, naked at the base, glabrous or puberulous; leaves sessile, deflexed and more or less imbricating downwards, straight or with the tips upcurved, 3-10 lin. long, 1/2-3 lin. broad, linear, with or without a dilated cordate base, or elongated ovate, cordate at the base, acute or subobtuse, mucronate, revolute at the margins, the whorl under the umbel often larger, flatter and more oblong, glabrous on both sides or rarely minutely puberulous beneath; umbel terminal, head-like with very short rays and 1/2-1 in. in diam. or up to 2 in. in diam. with once or twice-forked glabrous or puberulous rays up to 1 1/2 in. long; bracts 2-4 1/2 lin. long, 1 3/4-5 1/2 lin. broad, varying from broadly ovate to ovate-subrhomboid, usually broader than long, obtuse or slightly notched at the apex, apiculate, glabrous; involucre 1 1/2-2 1/2 lin. in diam., cup-shaped, glabrous, with 4 glands and 5 oblong acutely bifid, toothed or subentire lobes; glands 1/2-1 1/2 lin. in their greater diam., varying from crescent-shaped and two-horned with the two horns often incurved towards each other, to transversely oblong and denticulate on the outer margin; capsule 1 3/4-2 1/4 lin. in diam., slightly narrowing upwards, glabrous, exserted on a recurved pedicel 1 1/2-3 lin. long; styles 2/3-3/4 lin. long, usually upcurved from the decurved ovary, united at the base or for one-third of their length, bifid at the apex, with spreading tips; seeds 1-1 1/8 lin. long, ellipsoid, smooth, black, with a small yellowish-white caruncle.