Euphorbia lathyris |
Euphorbia peplidion |
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mole plant, gopher plant, caper spurge |
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Habit | Glabrous and glaucous annual, the stems erect, fleshy, dichotomously branched, 3-10 dm. tall. | |
Leaves | Leaves opposite, numerous, narrowly oblong, 6-12 cm. long and sessile near the stem base; leaves broadened upward on the stem, becoming ovate. |
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Flowers | Flowers tiny, monoecious, borne in axillary involucres; staminate flowers numerous, naked, each consisting of a single stamen; pistillate flower single and terminal in the involucre; involucre about 3 mm. long, purplish, bearing 4 glands with short, rounded horns. |
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Fruits | Capsule globose, coarsely wrinkled, 5-10 mm. long, separating into three 1-seeded segments. |
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Euphorbia lathyris |
Euphorbia peplidion |
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Flowering time | April-May | |
Habitat | Disturbed soil and wasteland. | |
Distribution | Occurring chiefly west of the Cascades crest in Washington; British Columbia to California east to Idaho, Montana, Arizona, and Texas; widely distributed in eastern North America.
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Origin | Introduced from Eurasia | |
Conservation status | Not of concern | |
Sibling taxa | ||
Web links |
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