Since all those pictures cause the thread to open slowly, here's thread number two.
Those of you who like math will remember that the sphere is the geometric shape that has the least amount of surface area in relationship to volume of any shape. In dry areas, it makes perfect sense for a plant to have the least amount of area exposed to the sun as possible so that water isn't evaporated, yet still photosynthesize. So plants from these areas are often sphere shaped.
This plant,
Pachypodium namaquanum is only found in a few colonies in the whole world, mainly on the Namibian/South African border. They only have a few leaves on the top of the plant for a few months during winter, when there is a bit of rain and cool weather. The leaves make food for the plant, which is stored in the trunk, or "caudex" then the plant drops the leaves for the rest of the year. A 6 foot plant can be hundreds of years old, and there are very strict laws against moving them. The Afrikaans name means "half person" as from a distance they often look like a person standing on a hill, being typically bare of leaves and having a limb or two.
