Euphorbia radyeri Bruyns

Bisexual spiny glabrous succulent shrub 1-2 m tall, 1-3 m broad, branching extensively mainly from base of similar main stem with woody and fibrous roots, with many peripheral branches spreading underground from plant for up to 0.5 m by rhizomes and then rising erect from soil. Branches 30-70 mm thick, strongly constricted into many ± spherical segments, smooth, grey-green; tubercles fused into 3-7 wing-like often sinuate angles, laterally flattened and rounded and projecting 3-10 mm from angles, spine-shields around apex and united into continuous horny and later somewhat corky brown to grey or black margin, 4-6 mm broad in upper part tapering to 2-3 mm below, bearing 2 spreading and widely diverging brown to grey spines (2-)6-15 mm long; leaf-rudiments on tips of new tubercles towards apex of branches and main stem, 1-4 mm long, 2-4 mm broad, spreading, fleeting, broadly ovate, obtuse, sessile, with green-brown obtuse ± pyramidal stipule on either side at base. Inflorescences in large numbers per branch towards apex, each a group of 1-3 cymes in axil of tubercle, on peduncle 2-4(6) mm long, 2-3 mm thick, each cyme with 3 vertically disposed cyathia, central male, outer 2 female only (or bisexual) and developing later, with 2 ovate bracts 1.0-1.5 mm long and 1.5-2.0 mm broad subtending cyathia; cyathia cupular-conical, glabrous, 3.5-6.0 mm broad (2-3 mm long below insertion of glands), with 5 lobes with deeply incised margins, bright yellow; glands (3-)5, transversely oblong to kidney-shaped or rectangular, 2-3 mm broad, bright yellow, ascending-spreading, slightly convex to concave above, outer margins entire and slightly raised; stamens entirely glabrous, bracteoles palmate and enveloping groups of stamens, deeply and finely divided, glabrous; ovary globose, glabrous, included to slightly exserted on erect pedicel 1.5-2.0 mm long and soon becoming slightly exserted, calyx slightly extended around base; styles 2-4 mm long, branched in upper third. Capsule 6-7 mm diam., obtusely 3-angled, glabrous, erect and exserted on short pedicel 2-4 mm long.