EUPHORBIA MELANOHYDRATA

This member of the Euphorbiaceae family was given this name by Gert Cornelius Nel in 1935. It is found in the area around the western border of South Africa and Namibia, growing in a well drained soil with some water and lots of sun. The caudex can grow to eight centimetres in diameter, the entire plant to 30 centimetres in height. The flowers are light brown and green.

The genera name; Euphorbia dates back to the first century BC, where King Juba II of Mauritania used it in a reference to his doctor, Euphorbos, and that name was kept as a generic name by Carl von Linnaeus. The species name from Latin melan; 'balck' and hydra; 'water' as it is found near the location Swartwater. Photo by S. Todd, Sanbi.org.