This Euphorbia stands out with its many V-shaped, upright stems, covered densely in hard, sharp, grayish spines—more reminiscent of Pachypodium or Fockea than your typical Euphorbia. Its name even means "similar to Didierea". Living alongside them in Madagascar's arid "spiny forests," it evolved a similar form through a process known as convergent evolution. Within the Euphorbia genus, it's considered a relative of E. milii , and they certainly do share a similar vibe.

While it's not extremely common on the market, if you look around, beginners should be able to find affordable 2.5 to 3-inch pots of seed-grown plants, making it a great choice for new collectors. One thing to note: it's often mislabeled and placed in the "caudex plant" section—but in reality, it hardly forms a caudex at all. Instead, its stems grow upright without thickening much. The main attraction, after all, is those robust, fierce-looking spines. In its natural habitat, it’s said to grow up to 2 meters tall (in cultivation, about 1 meter—which is still impressive!). Give it a try and see how it grows for you!

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  4,600JPY