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Chinese caps, western wood spurge

pineland spurge

Habit Herbs, usually biennial, occasionally annual, with taproot. Herbs, perennial, with thickened, woody taproot.
Stems

erect, sometimes decumbent at base, unbranched or branched, 12–40 cm, glabrous.

erect, 30–100 cm, glabrous;

branches ± straight.

Leaves

petiole 0–2 mm;

blade obovate-spatulate to oblanceolate, 8–22 × 3–10 mm, base broadly attenuate, margins entire or slightly crisped, apex obtuse to ± rounded, minutely apiculate, surfaces glabrous;

venation pinnate, midvein prominent.

usually alternate, occasionally opposite proximally;

petiole 0–1.5 mm, glabrous;

blade narrowly lanceolate to linear, base long-attenuate, 30–120 × 2.5–5 mm, margins usually entire, occasionally with few inconspicuous teeth, revolute, apex narrowly acute, surfaces glabrous;

venation obscurely pinnate, midvein prominent.

Involucre

campanulate, 1.8–2.1 × 1.6–1.8 mm, glabrous;

glands 4, crescent-shaped, 0.6–1.2 × 1.5–2.3 mm;

horns slightly divergent to slightly convergent, 0.4–0.6 mm.

campanulate, 1.5–1.9 × 1.4–1.7 mm, glabrous;

involucral lobes divided into broad, triangular segments;

glands 3(–5), red to purple, sessile and broadly attached, 0.8–1.1 × 1.2–1.6 mm, opening oblong (flattened without pressing), without annular rim, glabrous;

appendages absent.

Staminate flowers

11–18.

8–12.

Pistillate flowers

ovary glabrous;

styles 0.9–1.4 mm, 2-fid.

ovary glabrous;

styles 1.5 mm, 2-fid nearly entire length.

Capsules

subovoid, 2.5–3 × 3.5–4 mm, 3-lobed;

cocci rounded, smooth or puncticulate, glabrous;

columella 1.9–2.3 mm.

purpurescent, depressed-globose, 2.8–3.2 × 3.6–4 mm, 3-lobed, glabrous;

columella 2.6–2.9 mm.

Seeds

cream and brown mottled, oblong-ovoid to nearly globose, 2–2.5 × 1.4–1.7 mm, usually irregularly vermiculate-ridged and large-pitted, occasionally tuberculate or nearly smooth;

caruncle reniform, conic, 0.5–0.6 × 0.5–0.7 mm.

dark brown, cylindric-ovoid to ovoid, rounded in cross section, 2.1–2.4 × 2 mm, uniformly low-tuberculate, tubercles in median, transverse ridge;

caruncle absent.

Cyathial

arrangement: terminal pleiochasial branches 3, each 2-branched;

pleiochasial bracts obovate to orbiculate-reniform, wider than distal leaves;

dichasial bracts usually connate 1/3–1/2 length (often only on one side), rarely only connate basally, triangular ovate to reniform, base truncate to perfoliate, margins erose-denticulate to subentire, apex rounded to obtuse, rarely apiculate;

axillary cymose branches 0–5.

arrangement: terminal monochasial or dichasial branches 1–2, unbranched;

pleiochasial bracts 2–3, often whorled, wholly purpurescent green or pink at base, similar in shape and size to distal leaves or slightly narrower;

dichasial bracts highly reduced.

Cyathia

peduncle 0–0.5 mm.

peduncle 1.5–3 mm.

Euphorbia crenulata

Euphorbia pinetorum

Phenology Flowering and fruiting spring–summer. Flowering and fruiting year-round.
Habitat Conifer, oak, and mixed forests, coastal scrub, grasslands, barrens and outcrops, roadsides. Sandy soils in pinelands.
Elevation 30–1800 m. (100–5900 ft.) 0–10 m. (0–0 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; CO; NM; OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
FL
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Euphorbia crenulata is most common in the central valleys of California and southern Oregon; it occurs disjunctly in southwestern Colorado and northwestern New Mexico. Previous reports from Arizona are based on misidentified specimens. Euphorbia crenulata is closely related to E. commutata.

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

Euphorbia pinetorum has a restricted distribution in southern peninsular Florida, primarily in Miami-Dade and Monroe counties. The species is very similar to narrow-leaved forms of the closely related E. cyathophora but differs in its perennial habit, consistently unlobed leaves, and purpurescent involucral glands and cyathia.

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

Source FNA vol. 12, p. 301. FNA vol. 12, p. 323.
Parent taxa Euphorbiaceae > Euphorbia > subg. Esula Euphorbiaceae > Euphorbia > sect. Poinsettia
Sibling taxa
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. 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. 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 crenulatus Poinsettia pinetorum
Name authority Engelmann: in W. H. Emory, Rep. U.S. Mex. Bound. 2(1): 192. (1859) (Small) G. L. Webster: J. Arnold Arbor. 48: 403. (1967)
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