Highly branched columnar succulent Euphorbia with tubercles tightly packed together in rows, making each stem look a bit like a corn cob. From near the Cape in South Africa. Very popular and widespread in cultivation. Branches appear at the base and/or above. This plant becomes a subshrub when mature, and is extremely well behaved in containers. It may bear intermittent spines (actually sterile peduncles) that are not particularly deadly or ornamental. Very small, ephemeral vestigial leaves appear on new growth. Plants are male or female (dioecious) and cyathia are borne near the tips a few times a year. This plant hybridizes easily with polygona and related plants. It is resistant to hares and confers this resistance upon some hybrids.

Very easy to propagate from cuttings. Said to be an easy, but potentially short-lived stock for grafting. This plant may be confused with some forms of the highly variable E. fimbriata. A pale green variegated version of mammillaris exists and is also popular and well-behaved in cultivation. Both develop attractive pinkish or reddish overtones with exposure to the sun.

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