What is a Baseball Plant?
This incredibly popular house plant is virtually extinct in
the wild due to habitat destruction and the botanical equivalent of poaching.
Its sap is poisonous, but it does make an attractive yard ornament.
Unfortunately humans have not balanced their desire to grow the baseball plant
in their gardens with the need to preserve natural populations of the plant.
Where is it found?
The baseball plant also known as euphorbia obesa is only found in the Great Karoo in the plains of South Africa. The Great Karoo is a desert area, which is the plants natural habitat.
How can we help?
The plant needs to be in that certain area because if they are in a cold area they will rot and die. that is why they are becoming extinct. People who find them tend to take them and keep them in a habitat that is not like their usual habitat. This causes them to die and people are careless and then go and get more and do the same thing.
Perspectives
the baseball plant can be helped by keeping the plants in the same sort of area. Baseball plants should be returned to their natural habitat. if you find one you could give it to someone who has knowledge of how to care for them. We could create a private habitat that is just for this type of plant. The government and the environmentalists response to the decline of the species is helping them to remain in their own natural habitat and keep them safe and secure.