Euphorbia lathyris |
Euphorbia strictior |
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caper spurge, gopher plant, mole plant |
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Habit | Herbs or subshrubs biennial, 1.5–12 dm; stems erect, glabrous, glaucous. | |
Leaves | opposite, narrowly oblong to ovate or subcordate, 30–150 × 5–30 mm, bases clasping; margins entire; tips acute; surfaces glabrous. |
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Inflorescences | involucres bell-shaped, 2.5–4 mm; glands 2-horned; horns rounded and short. |
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Fruits | spherical, 5–15 mm. |
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Seeds | round, 4–6 mm, wrinkled or with shallow reticulate markings. |
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Euphorbia lathyris |
Euphorbia strictior |
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Distribution | ||
Discussion | Disturbed areas. Flowering May–Jul. 0–500 m. Col, CR, Est, Sisk, WV. CA, ID, WA; scattered across North America; Asia, Europe. Exotic. Euphorbia lathyris is our only member of the genus to have only opposite leaves. It is sometimes planted in gardens based on the unsubstantiated belief it may deter moles and gophers. |
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Source | Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 645 Stephen Meyers |
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Sibling taxa | ||
Web links |
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