EUPHORBIA RUFICEPS

This member of the Euphorbiaceae family was given this name by Susan Carter in 1980. It is found in Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia, growing in a well drained sandy soil with some water and lots of sun. The caudex can grow to four or even six centimetres in diameter, the entire plant to 45 centimetres in height. The flowers are greenish yellow with a red centre.

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; rufus; 'reddish' and Latin - ceps; 'headed'.