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giant spurge, roughpod spurge, tall spurge, warty spurge

limestone sandmat

Habit Herbs, annual or biennial, with taproot. Herbs, usually annual, occasionally perennial, with slender to slightly thickened taproot, 3.5 mm diam..
Stems

erect, branched, 20–60 cm, glabrous.

prostrate to decumbent, loosely mat-forming, often rooting at nodes, 10–45 cm, glabrous.

Leaves

petiole 0–1 mm;

blade oblong-spatulate, 20–50 × 7–18 mm, base broadly attenuate, margins serrulate, apex rounded to obtuse, surfaces glabrous, ± glaucous;

venation pinnate, midvein prominent.

opposite;

stipules distinct, subulate filiform segments (lower side), or connate forming conspicuous, broad deltate scale (upper side), toothed, 0.5–1 mm, glabrous;

petiole 0.7–1 mm, glabrous;

blade ovate to oblong-elliptic, 4–10 × 2–5 mm, base asymmetric, subcordate to rounded, margins usually entire, occasionally toothed, apex usually obtuse to rounded, occasionally acute to apiculate, surfaces without red blotch, glabrous; 3-veined from base, only midvein conspicuous.

Involucre

narrowly campanulate, 0.8–1.1 × 1.1–1.3 mm, glabrous;

glands 4, elliptic, 0.3–0.5 × 0.5–0.7 mm;

horns absent.

turbinate to campanulate, 0.5–0.6 × 0.4–0.6 mm, glabrous;

glands 4, red, slightly concave, elliptic-oblong, 0.1 × 0.1–0.3 mm;

appendages white to pink, unequal, pair near sinus lunate to oblong, 0.1–0.2 × 0.1–0.3 mm, distal margin entire, crenulate, or irregularly sinuate, other pair sometimes rudimentary, 0–0.1 × 0.1–0.3 mm, distal margin crenulate or entire.

Staminate flowers

5–10.

8–12.

Pistillate flowers

ovary glabrous;

styles 0.5–0.9 mm, 2-fid.

ovary glabrous;

styles 0.3–0.4 mm, 2-fid 1/2 length.

Capsules

depressed-globose, 2–3 × 2.5–3.5 mm, 3-lobed;

cocci rounded, papillate, papillae 0.2–0.5 mm, glabrous;

columella 1.5–1.9 mm.

broadly ovoid, 1.2–1.7 × 1.4–1.9 mm, glabrous;

columella 1.2–1.6 mm.

Seeds

purple-black, ovoid, 1.6–2 × 1.3–1.7 mm, reticulate and areolate;

caruncle reniform, flat, 0.5 × 0.7 mm.

gray to reddish brown, oblong-ovoid, 4-angled in cross section, 0.9–1.1 × 0.5–0.6 mm, flat or obscurely wrinkled.

Cyathial

arrangement: terminal pleiochasial branches 3, 2–3 times 2-branched;

pleiochasial bracts elliptic-oblanceolate to oblong, similar in size to distal leaves;

dichasial bracts distinct, broadly ovate to orbiculate/reniform, base obtuse, margins serrulate, apex obtuse to rounded and often mucronulate;

axillary cymose branches 6–20(–25).

Cyathia

peduncle 0.5–1 mm.

solitary or in small, cymose clusters at distal nodes of stem or on congested, axillary branches;

peduncle 0.4–0.6 mm.

Euphorbia alta

Euphorbia blodgettii

Phenology Flowering and fruiting summer. Flowering and fruiting year-round.
Habitat Montane pine-oak and mixed conifer forests, disturbed roadsides, logged areas. Coastal sand dunes and disturbed upland sandy areas.
Elevation 1500–3000 m. (4900–9800 ft.) 0–20 m. (0–100 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; NM; Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
FL
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Euphorbia alta is a montane species from southern Arizona, New Mexico, and northern and central Mexico that is very similar to and sometimes difficult to distinguish from E. spathulata. Euphorbia alta tends to be a robust biennial, whereas E. spathulata is strictly annual. The most consistent characteristic to separate these two species is that the ovaries and capsules of E. alta are distinctly papillate, with the papillae rising sharply above the surface, whereas the ovaries and capsules of E. spathulata are merely verrucose, with the protuberances lower and rounded.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Euphorbia blodgettii is found only in peninsular Florida. It is closely related to E. garberi, E. porteriana, and E. serpens (Y. Yang and P. E. Berry 2011).

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 12, p. 298. FNA vol. 12, p. 261.
Parent taxa Euphorbiaceae > Euphorbia > subg. Esula Euphorbiaceae > Euphorbia > sect. Anisophyllum
Sibling taxa
E. aaron-rossii, E. abramsiana, E. acuta, E. agraria, E. albomarginata, 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. 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
Synonyms Tithymalus altus Chamaesyce blodgettii, C. nashii
Name authority Norton: N. Amer. Euphorbia, 24, plate 24. (1899) Engelmann ex Hitchcock: Rep. (Annual) Missouri Bot. Gard. 4: 126, plate 13. (1893)
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