UW Burke Herbarium species comparison

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Euphorbia helioscopia

Euphorbia peplus

mad woman's milk, summer spurge, sun spurge, wart spurge, wartweed

petty spurge
Habit Somewhat fleshy annual, the upright stem 2-5 dm. tall, simple or occasionally branched below, umbellately branched near the top, nearly glabrous below but with dense, soft hairs above. Glabrous annual, the stem erect, freely branched, 1-3 dm. tall.
Leaves

Lower cauline leaves alternate, oblanceolate, narrowed to the base, 1-3 cm. long, finely serrate-dentate; floral leaves opposite or whorled, finely toothed.

Lower leaves alternate, 1-3 cm. long, rhombic-ovate to rhombic-obovate, narrowed abruptly to very slender petioles 3-10 mm. long; floral leaves opposite, short-petiolate, broadly ovate, 10-25 mm. long.
Flowers

Flowers naked in obconic involucres, these bearing 4 greenish-yellow glands alternate with horn-less lobes; staminate flowers numerous, included in the involucre, represented by a single stamen; pistillate flower single, protruded from the involucre.

Inflorescence of cymes terminal on the branches;

flowers tiny, monoecious, borne in involucres; staminate flowers numerous, naked, each consisting of a single stamen; pistillate flower single and terminal in the involucre;

involucres 1-1.5 mm. long, bearing 4 glands with long, slender horns.
Fruits

Capsule 3-celled, smooth.

Capsule smooth, 2.5 mm. long, separating into three 1-seeded segments.

Euphorbia helioscopia

Euphorbia peplus
Flowering time April-July May-November
Habitat Weed of cultivated areas and abondoned gardens. Weed of disturbed ground.
Distribution
Occurring west of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to California, east to the northern Rocky Mountains and northern Great Plains, Texas, and eastern North America.
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Occurring chiefly west of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to California, east across most of North America to the Atlantic Coast.
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Origin Introduced from Eurasia Introduced from Europe
Conservation status Not of concern Not of concern
Sibling taxa
E. agraria, E. amygdaloides, E. characias, E. cyparissias, E. epithymoides, E. glyptosperma, E. lathyris, E. maculata, E. myrsinites, E. oblongata, E. peplus, E. platyphyllos, E. segetalis, E. serpillifolia, E. serrulata, E. spathulata, E. virgata
E. agraria, E. amygdaloides, E. characias, E. cyparissias, E. epithymoides, E. glyptosperma, E. helioscopia, E. lathyris, E. maculata, E. myrsinites, E. oblongata, E. platyphyllos, E. segetalis, E. serpillifolia, E. serrulata, E. spathulata, E. virgata
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the University of Washington's Burke Herbarium.



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