SUCCULENT SUNDAY: Euphorbia obesa v symmetrica—the UFO has landed

Chief among the pleasures of succulents are their otherworldly shapes and colors. Euphorbia obesa is a very familiar shape... familiar, that is, in a beach ball or balloon! This oblate spheroid is not a common shape in the world of plants.

This UFO-shaped plant is dioecious (unisexual). I think the plant pictured is male, but I'm not completely sure. On my to-learn list is better positive identification of the sex of euphorbia blooms (called cyathia).

Euphorbia obesa var symmetrica

With any luck, I'll have a breeding pair of these choice succulents from southern Africa. Here's my second plant. Look at the cute second body! This kind of branching is quite unusual in this species:

Euphorbia obesa grows wild in the Graaff-Reinet district in the Eastern Cape. The form pictured here (subspecies symmetrica) is found in the Willowmore district, where it's protected voluntarily by some farmers, partly with the effort of enthusiasts from the Euphorbia Study Group of Warrington, England.

The subspecies symmetrica is distinguished from the base type by a rather technical distinction: it produces multiple peduncles from single flowering eyes. Amateur growers and fans of this plant also know that Euphorbia symmetrica stays compact, rather than elongating and growing tall like the species type, Euphorbia obesa.
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See Also
Euphorbia obesa ssp symmetrica at Cactus-Art.Biz

SUCCULENT SUNDAY: Monadenium ellenbeckii fma caulopodium: lime-green octopus decked for the holidays

Today was my local plant club's holiday party. I was called on to offer a little light entertainment, so I sang my favorite secular holiday tune: "You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch".

For the plant exchange—an ingenious ceremony, really—I contributed a rather handsome little Agave xylonocantha. Handsome... but not showy. I confess with a little chagrin that my little A xylonocantha was not an early pick from the table; larger, more beautiful plants were on offer.

As soon as my plant finally was picked up from the table, it was my turn to pick my choice of the remaining plants. Luckily this terrific little Monadenium ellenbeckii forma caulopodium was still available. It took me a while to notice it, but the more I focused on it, the more it grew on me. Pretty!... and well grown.

It even bears a slight resemblance to Himself, that very villainous Grinch.

See also
San Gabriel Cactus and Succulent Society, my local club