On seeing plants of this species for the first time, one would be excused for thinking they belong to E. stellispina (see earlier post). E. pillansii is smaller (up to 30 cm tall instead of up to 50 cm or more) and the stems have fewer angles (7-9 compared to 10-16). The plants are either male or female and occur sporadically from Ceres to Vanwyksdorp in the Little Karoo on stony, clayey soils.
The pictures were taken 7 Febr. 2009, west of Ladismith.
To be continued.
Most of the biomass in these plants is underground. Graham Williamson in his beautiful book “Richtersveld; the enchanted wilderness” has the following to say: “E. celata is a curious Namaqualand endemic which makes up for its lacklustre appearance by its botanical uniqueness. It grows almost secretly in hidden cracks in orange sandstone and is very difficult to detect.”
Plants photographed near Lekkersing 12 July 2011.
Photographed 12 Sept. 2009, just south of Calitzdorp.
This species is common in western Bushmanland. Photographed 2 Sept. 2010.
As these plants have big underground bodies formed by a combination of root and stem, they qualify as caudiciforms.
Photographed near Port Elizabeth, 25 October 2012
As a rule I use a diaphragm of f/16 when photographing plants, because it usually gives the best combination of sharpness and Depth of Field. After taking this picture of Euphorbia pseudoglobosa last Sunday, I wondered what the result would be if I used the lens’s full opening. The result is shown below. Both pictures have their merits, but to me the second one is more interesting as it imparts a brooding atmosphere and a feeling of loneliness. I would be interested to hear your opinion.
A rare plant in nature, only known from a small area between Willowmore and Rietbron. Photographed 7 April 2006.
This is one of the dwarf Euphorbias. According to literature it may become 15 cm tall, but the ones I have seen up to now were only a few cms. The pictures were taken south of Laingsburg, along the old road from Montagu to Ladismith, on the following dates: 1 and 2: 7 July 2009; 3: 1 May 2011; 4 and 5: 30 June 2013 (in other words: yesterday).
Growing in Matjiesvlei near Calitzdorp, in the foothills of the Swartberge. 21 Nov. 2008
In coastal dunes near Strandfontein, 30 July 2009
