How to Grow Baseball Plant (Euphorbia obesa)

Euphorbia obesa

If you happen to’re a succulent fan, you’ll need to get to know the baseball plant, Euphorbia obesa.

Because the widespread identify suggests, this plant resembles the signature object of America’s favourite pastime – the baseball, with a number of botanical elaborations.

Additionally referred to as sea urchin plant for its resemblance to the marine creature, this species is native to the Cape Province area of South Africa, notably the Nice Karoo semi-arid desert basin.

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Baseball plant has a leafless fleshy stem adept at storing water to maintain itself in one of many world’s harshest climates.

However Mom Nature didn’t simply endow the sleek, inexperienced globe with perform.

The vertical ridges resemble stitches, intersecting horizontal pinkish-purple markings that present finest in full solar, for a tartan-like look. And it’s topped off with a crown of tiny greenish-yellow springtime blossoms.

The flowers are nondescript however distinctive as a result of they might be male, with pollen-coated anthers, or feminine, with stigmas.

And whereas uncommon, a single plant could have each female and male flowers, and the gender could change through the years.

Our information to rising euphorbia gives an summary of the genus. This text focuses on the distinctive traits of E. obesa.

Right here’s what we’ll cowl:

The baseball plant has a taproot and grows a single globe. Because it ages, the stem elongates into an egg-shaped or cylindrical column.

Mature dimensions are six to eight inches tall with a ramification of three to 4 inches. Brown, bark-like “cork” on the base is a pure a part of the maturation course of.

Along with the first species, there’s a subspecies, E. obesa subsp. symmetrica, that’s spherical, however flattened, reasonably than columnar.

In case you are a cactus aficionado, you might discover that this subspecies resembles the sand greenback cactus, Astrophytum asterias, endemic to Texas and Mexico. It has comparable care necessities.

You’ll discover engaging placements for baseball vegetation outside in small-scale xeriscapes, akin to rock gardens, the place water-wise, low-maintenance flora creates a just about self-sustaining rising atmosphere.