''Euphorbia mammillaris'' (often mis-spelled ''Euphorbia mamillaris'') is a plant

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

endemic to

Cape Province The Province of the Cape of Good Hope ( af, Provinsie Kaap die Goeie Hoop), commonly referred to as the Cape Province ( af, Kaapprovinsie) and colloquially as The Cape ( af, Die Kaap), was a province in the Union of South Africa and subsequen ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

. ''Euphorbia mammillaris'', also known as African or Indian corn-cob, is a fast-growing shrublet, with thick stems that are chalky green, erect and ribbed. The variegated form, ''E. mammillaris variegata'', is normally a beige-white colour when protected under shade cover, trees, other plants, or rocks; its white stems will become tinged with magenta, fuchsia, and tones of rosy-pink in areas of more sun exposure, times of drought, or in colder weather. Nearing maturity, the plant can reach a foot to two feet tall. Each stem can have from seven to seventeen ribs of thick, hexagonal

tubercles In anatomy, a tubercle (literally 'small tuber', Latin for 'lump') is any round nodule, small eminence, or warty outgrowth found on external or internal organs of a plant or an animal. In plants A tubercle is generally a wart-like projection, ...

growing next to each other vertically, which resembles the look of a corn-cob. The pseudo-spines are pinkish white, thick and pointy, almost like blunt toothpicks, only up to 0.4 inches (1 cm) long and scattered around the top of the plants. From late winter to early summer, this succulent produces small red and orange flowers from each stem. Maurizio Sajeva and Mariangela Costanzo, ''Succulents: the illustrated dictionary'', Timber Press, 1997, page 115. . The scientific name ''E. mammillaris'' gives credence to the plant’s superficial resemblance to American cactus; in this case, the ''Mammillaria'' cacti. Ironically, most ''Mammillaria'' cacti are globular, low-growing plants, while ''Euphorbia mammillaris'' is rather vertical and columnar in shape and growth habit. However, this is outward appearance-specific, as this succulent is not a true cactus. Additionally, Euphorbia plants are all fairly toxic (poisonous if ingested), containing caustic latex sap, which drips profusely when the plant is damaged. Care must be taken and gloves worn when handling; if this liquid gets into an open wound on the skin, or into the eyes, mouth, ears, nose (or any mucous membrane), burning pain and allergic reaction is likely to occur. In certain extreme instances (especially if oral contact is made), swelling of the throat can develop, with anaphylactic shock and suffocation leading to possible death. Cacti (''Cactaceae''), as a family, are generally benign; the majority of cacti are not poisonous, and many species produce some form of edible fruit or vegetable growth (I.e., ''dragonfruit'' or ''Nopales''), which help supply vital nutrients and moisture to humans and animals in arid environments.

References

mammillaris Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Endemic flora of South Africa {{Euphorbia-stub