We report the description of Euphorbia gilbertiana, a new, distinctive, dwarf succulent from Southern Ethiopia, found not far from the Somali border. Its carunculate seeds and four green glands ally this species most closely with members of section Eremophyton, such as E. pirottae. With its fleshy and compact habit, its long, lax rays and its almost glabrous habit, E. gilbertiana is clearly differentiated from the annual species E. pirottae.