Curio articulatus, the candle plant and in Afrikaans worsies (little sausages) is in the USA known as the hot dog cactus. However it may be named, it cannot be blamed for being prickly… no thorns, prickles, spines or even hairs occur upon the plant.

Using some assistance from lichen covered rocks in the Little Karoo, this plant manages the pretence of being erect. When C. articulatus grows a bit larger it cannot avoid exposing its habit of sprawling, seldom exceeding 20 cm in height (Vlok and Schutte-Vlok, 2010).