Euphorbia bupleuriflora is unlike anything else in the genus, with such dominant genetics that its features take over almost any hybrid it appears in. The pure species is still the best form, with a woody stem covered in tubercles that begins as a sphere and lengthens slowly over time, sometimes branching into multiple heads on older plants. The bumpy texture comes from dried leaf bases that form a kind of armament around the stem, the scars leaving a pock-marked center that, when leafless, bear an uncanny resemblance to a pine cone. The long, narrow leaves add to the miniature cycad impression and turn a glaucous blue in strong light, though in harsh heat the plant needs regular water to keep them looking good. It has proven under our care to tolerate temperatures over 100°F and even light frost. Native to the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal in a summer-rainfall part of South Africa, it performs just as well for us as a winter grower, perhaps owing to its relation to a group of species otherwise exclusively from the West and North Capes such as E. crispa and E. ecklonii. With consistent irrigation and some summer shade the plant can hold leaves all year, unless the pinecone look is what you prefer.