Burke: Euphorbia oblongata vs. Euphorbia peplus

	Euphorbia oblongata	Euphorbia peplus
	balkan spurge, egg-leaf spurge	petty spurge
Habit		Glabrous annual, the stem erect, freely branched, 1-3 dm. tall.
Leaves		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		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 smooth, 2.5 mm. long, separating into three 1-seeded segments.

	Euphorbia oblongata	Euphorbia peplus
Flowering time	May-July	May-November
Habitat	Roadsides, fields, ditches, wastelots, and other disturbed, open areas.	Weed of disturbed ground.
Distribution	Occurring west of the Cascades crest in lowland western Washington; southwestern British Columbia to California. [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 Europe	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. helioscopia, E. lathyris, E. maculata, E. myrsinites, 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	Local floras: BC, CA, OR, WA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, PNW Herbaria WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search	Local floras: BC, CA, OR, WA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, PNW Herbaria, Turner Photog. WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Euphorbia peplus

balkan spurge, egg-leaf spurge

petty spurge

Habit

Glabrous annual, the stem erect, freely branched, 1-3 dm. tall.

Leaves

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

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