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urban spurge

broadleaf spurge, hoary sandmat

Habit Herbs, perennial, with slender, spreading rootstock. Herbs, perennial, with moderately thickened to robust rootstock.
Stems

erect or ascending, unbranched or branched, 30–90 cm, glabrous.

ascending to erect, or prostrate, 10–25 cm, strigose to short-sericeous or ± villous.

Leaves

petiole absent;

blade oblong-elliptic, 20–65 × 9–20 mm, base truncate to auriculate, margins entire, apex obtuse to rounded, surfaces glabrous;

venation conspicuously pinnate, midvein prominent.

opposite;

stipules distinct, filiform, 0.8–1.3 mm, strigose to short-sericeous or ± villous;

petiole 0.5–2 mm, densely strigose to short-sericeous or ± villous;

blade narrowly to broadly ovate-deltate, older ones often falcate, 4–12 × 3–7 mm, base asymmetric, obliquely rounded to obtuse, noticeably wider on one side, margins entire, often ± revolute, apex broadly acute, surfaces strigose to short-sericeous or ± villous; obscurely 3–5-veined from base, midvein prominent abaxially.

Involucre

campanulate, 2.2–3 × 1.8–2 mm, glabrous;

glands 4, crescent-shaped; 0.6–1 × 1–2 mm;

horns slightly divergent to convergent, 0.1–0.2 mm.

broadly campanulate, 2–2.5 × 2.2–2.6, strigose;

glands 4, greenish, oblong to semilunate, 0.2–0.7 × 0.6–1 mm;

appendages rudimentary or white, forming narrow band, (0–)0.1–0.2 × (0–)0.6–1 mm, distal margin entire or crenate.

Staminate flowers

15–20.

25–35.

Pistillate flowers

ovary glabrous;

styles 1.2–2 mm, 2-fid.

ovary densely strigose to short-sericeous or ± villous;

styles dark purplish, 0.8–1.2 mm, 2-fid 1/2 to nearly entire length.

Capsules

globose, 2–2.8 × 2.2–2.7 mm, 3-lobed;

cocci rounded, smooth except finely granulate toward abaxial line, glabrous;

columella 2.1–2.7 mm.

ovoid, 1.9–2.3 × 2–2.4 mm, strigose to short-sericeous or ± villous;

columella 1.7–2.2 mm.

Seeds

gray or whitish, ovoid-oblong, 2–2.1 × 1.2–1.3 mm, smooth;

caruncle ± rounded and flattened, 0.8 × 0.6 mm.

whitish, oblong, 4-angled in cross section, faces concave, 1.5–1.8(–2) × 0.6–0.9 mm, smooth.

Cyathial

arrangement: terminal pleiochasial branches 8–15, 1–2 times 2-branched;

pleiochasial bracts similar in shape but shorter and narrower than distal leaves;

dichasial bracts distinct, rhombic to reniform, base obtuse, margins entire, apex obtuse, mucronate;

axillary cymose branches 12–23.

Cyathia

peduncle 0–2 mm.

solitary at distal nodes;

peduncle 1–3 mm.

2n

= 28, 56.

Euphorbia agraria

Euphorbia lata

Phenology Flowering and fruiting spring–summer. Flowering and fruiting spring–fall.
Habitat Grasslands, roadside banks, pastures. Mountain slopes, canyons, basins, rocky prairies, roadsides, disturbed sites, usually in calcareous soils, sometimes in igneous-derived, sandy or rocky soils.
Elevation 200–1600 m. (700–5200 ft.) 600–2200 m. (2000–7200 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
KS; MT; NE; NY; PA; WA; WY; AB; SK; Europe [Introduced in North America]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CO; KS; NM; OK; TX; Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Source FNA vol. 12, p. 298. FNA vol. 12, p. 275.
Parent taxa Euphorbiaceae > Euphorbia > subg. Esula Euphorbiaceae > Euphorbia > sect. Anisophyllum
Sibling taxa
E. aaron-rossii, E. abramsiana, E. acuta, E. albomarginata, E. alta, E. angusta, E. antisyphilitica, E. arizonica, E. astyla, E. austrotexana, E. bicolor, E. bifurcata, E. bilobata, E. blodgettii, E. bombensis, E. brachycera, E. capitellata, E. carunculata, E. chaetocalyx, E. chamaesula, E. cinerascens, E. commutata, E. conferta, E. cordifolia, E. corollata, E. crenulata, E. cumulicola, E. cuphosperma, E. curtisii, E. cyathophora, E. cyparissias, E. davidii, E. deltoidea, E. dendroides, E. dentata, E. discoidalis, E. eriantha, E. exigua, E. exserta, E. exstipulata, E. falcata, E. fendleri, E. florida, E. floridana, E. garberi, E. georgiana, E. geyeri, E. glyptosperma, E. golondrina, E. gracillima, E. graminea, E. helioscopia, E. helleri, E. heterophylla, E. hexagona, E. hirta, E. hooveri, E. humistrata, E. hypericifolia, E. hyssopifolia, E. indivisa, E. innocua, E. inundata, E. ipecacuanhae, E. jaegeri, E. jejuna, E. laredana, E. lasiocarpa, E. lata, E. lathyris, E. longicruris, E. lurida, E. macropus, E. maculata, E. marginata, E. meganaesos, E. melanadenia, E. mendezii, E. mercurialina, E. mesembrianthemifolia, E. micromera, E. misera, E. missurica, E. myrsinites, E. nephradenia, E. nutans, E. oblongata, E. ocellata, E. ophthalmica, E. ouachitana, E. parishii, E. parryi, E. pediculifera, E. peplidion, E. peplus, E. perennans, E. pergamena, E. pinetorum, E. platyphyllos, E. platysperma, E. polycarpa, E. polygonifolia, E. polyphylla, E. porteriana, E. prostrata, E. pubentissima, E. purpurea, E. radians, E. rayturneri, E. revoluta, E. roemeriana, E. rosescens, E. schizoloba, E. serpens, E. serpillifolia, E. serrata, E. serrula, E. setiloba, E. simulans, E. spathulata, E. stictospora, E. strictior, E. telephioides, E. terracina, E. tetrapora, E. texana, E. theriaca, E. thymifolia, E. tithymaloides, E. trachysperma, E. trichotoma, E. vallis-mortae, E. velleriflora, E. vermiculata, E. villifera, E. virgata, E. wrightii, E. yaquiana
E. aaron-rossii, E. abramsiana, E. acuta, E. agraria, E. albomarginata, E. alta, E. angusta, E. antisyphilitica, E. arizonica, E. astyla, E. austrotexana, E. bicolor, E. bifurcata, E. bilobata, E. blodgettii, E. bombensis, E. brachycera, E. capitellata, E. carunculata, E. chaetocalyx, E. chamaesula, E. cinerascens, E. commutata, E. conferta, E. cordifolia, E. corollata, E. crenulata, E. cumulicola, E. cuphosperma, E. curtisii, E. cyathophora, E. cyparissias, E. davidii, E. deltoidea, E. dendroides, E. dentata, E. discoidalis, E. eriantha, E. exigua, E. exserta, E. exstipulata, E. falcata, E. fendleri, E. florida, E. floridana, E. garberi, E. georgiana, E. geyeri, E. glyptosperma, E. golondrina, E. gracillima, E. graminea, E. helioscopia, E. helleri, E. heterophylla, E. hexagona, E. hirta, E. hooveri, E. humistrata, E. hypericifolia, E. hyssopifolia, E. indivisa, E. innocua, E. inundata, E. ipecacuanhae, E. jaegeri, E. jejuna, E. laredana, E. lasiocarpa, E. lathyris, E. longicruris, E. lurida, E. macropus, E. maculata, E. marginata, E. meganaesos, E. melanadenia, E. mendezii, E. mercurialina, E. mesembrianthemifolia, E. micromera, E. misera, E. missurica, E. myrsinites, E. nephradenia, E. nutans, E. oblongata, E. ocellata, E. ophthalmica, E. ouachitana, E. parishii, E. parryi, E. pediculifera, E. peplidion, E. peplus, E. perennans, E. pergamena, E. pinetorum, E. platyphyllos, E. platysperma, E. polycarpa, E. polygonifolia, E. polyphylla, E. porteriana, E. prostrata, E. pubentissima, E. purpurea, E. radians, E. rayturneri, E. revoluta, E. roemeriana, E. rosescens, E. schizoloba, E. serpens, E. serpillifolia, E. serrata, E. serrula, E. setiloba, E. simulans, E. spathulata, E. stictospora, E. strictior, E. telephioides, E. terracina, E. tetrapora, E. texana, E. theriaca, E. thymifolia, E. tithymaloides, E. trachysperma, E. trichotoma, E. vallis-mortae, E. velleriflora, E. vermiculata, E. villifera, E. virgata, E. wrightii, E. yaquiana
Synonyms Tithymalus agrarius E. dilatata, Chamaesyce lata, E. rinconis
Name authority M. Bieberstein: Fl. Taur.-Caucas. 1: 375. (1808) Engelmann: in W. H. Emory, Rep. U.S. Mex. Bound. 2(1): 188. (1859)
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