Who knows what misfortune befell this Euphorbia maleolens plant as it painstakingly developed all those branches that have now come to harm? The fortitude of maimed plants carrying on as best they can after being trampled, burned, infected or otherwise damaged is yet another example of life never giving in until all defence resources have been exhausted.

Recovery may never be complete, but ambitious amounts of seed set over many annual seasons may still result from such efforts (Germishuizen and Fabian, 1982; iNaturalist; JSTOR; http://www.llifle.com).