Flora of North America species comparison

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Euphorbia agraria

Euphorbia polygonifolia

urban spurge

dune spurge, euphorbe à feuilles de renouée, seaside sandmat, seaside spurge
Habit Herbs, perennial, with slender, spreading rootstock. Herbs, annual, with taproot.
Stems

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

usually prostrate, occasionally ascending, 5–30 cm, glabrous.
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 usually distinct, occasionally connate basally (distal portion of stem), triangular-subulate, entire or divided, 0.8–1.5 mm, glabrous;

petiole 1–3 mm, glabrous;

blade oblong, linear-oblong, or linear-lanceolate, 5–16 × 2–4 mm, base slightly asymmetric, obtuse or subcordate, margins entire, apex obtuse, often mucronulate, surfaces uniformly green or reddish tinged, glabrous;

venation obscure.
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.

obconic-campanulate, 1.2–1.7 × 1–1.4 mm, glabrous;

glands 4, occasionally rudimentary, green-yellow to tan or orange-tinged, occasionally shortly stipitate, usually broadly oval to subcircular, sometimes figure eight-shaped, shallowly cupped, 0.1–0.3 × 0.2–0.4 mm;

appendages absent or rudimentary.
Staminate flowers

15–20.

5–14.
Pistillate flowers

ovary glabrous;

styles 1.2–2 mm, 2-fid.

ovary glabrous;

styles 0.7–1 mm, 2-fid 1/2 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.

broadly ovoid, 3–3.5(–4) × (2–)2.4–3 mm, glabrous;

columella 2–3 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.

ashy white, wedge-shaped to slightly ovoid, weakly dorsiventrally compressed and elliptic-terete to bluntly subangled in cross section, back strongly rounded, face slightly rounded, (2–)2.2–2.8 × 1.6–1.9 mm, smooth or minutely pitted, with smooth brown line from top to bottom on adaxial side.
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 or in small, cymose clusters at distal nodes;

peduncle 0.5–5 mm.

Euphorbia agraria

Euphorbia polygonifolia
Phenology Flowering and fruiting spring–summer. Flowering and fruiting early summer–fall.
Habitat Grasslands, roadside banks, pastures. Sandy maritime and freshwater beaches and foredunes.
Elevation 200–1600 m. (700–5200 ft.) 0–200 m. (0–700 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
CT; DE; FL; GA; IL; IN; MA; MD; ME; MI; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; PA; RI; SC; VA; WI; NB; NS; ON; PE; QC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Euphorbia polygonifolia is native to coastal beaches and dunes along the Atlantic Ocean from the maritime provinces of Canada south to northern Florida. The species also occurs disjunctly along the shores of the North American Great Lakes. Euphorbia polygonifolia was native to Quebec but is now considered extirpated from the province. It has apparently been introduced in Europe, but it is unclear if it has persisted there (L. C. Wheeler 1941). Immature individuals of this species can be somewhat difficult to distinguish from E. bombensis where their ranges overlap (Virginia to northern Florida). Where they occur together, E. polygonifolia tends to be a pioneer species on the upper beach and foredune front, whereas E. bombensis tends to inhabit areas behind the foredune (R. D. Porcher and D. A. Rayner 2002). Euphorbia polygonifolia can be distinguished also by its larger capsules and larger, wedge-shaped to slightly ovoid seeds.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 12, p. 298. FNA vol. 12, p. 284.
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. 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. 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 Chamaesyce polygonifolia
Name authority M. Bieberstein: Fl. Taur.-Caucas. 1: 375. (1808) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 455. (1753)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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