Flora of North America species comparison

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Euphorbia cuphosperma

Euphorbia polygonifolia

hairy-fruit spurge

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

erect, 13–20 cm, both pilose to villous and densely strigillose;

branches ± straight.

usually prostrate, occasionally ascending, 5–30 cm, glabrous.
Leaves

usually opposite, occasionally alternate at distal nodes;

petiole 3–15 mm, pilose;

blade narrowly to broadly elliptic, or lanceolate to ovate, 30–80 × 10–15 mm, base cuneate to rounded, margins coarsely crenate-dentate, strigose, revolute to nearly flat, apex broadly acute to acuminate, or obtuse, abaxial surface pilose, adaxial surface sparsely strigose-hirsute;

venation 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 to slightly cylindric, 2.3 × 1.2 mm, glabrous;

involucral lobes divided into several linear, smooth lobes;

gland 1, yellow-green, stipitate, clavate, 1–1.2 × 0.8–0.9 mm, opening bilabiate and oblong, glabrous;

appendages absent.

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

3–5.

5–14.
Pistillate flowers

ovary pilose;

styles 1.2 mm, 2-fid nearly entire length.

ovary glabrous;

styles 0.7–1 mm, 2-fid 1/2 length.
Capsules

broadly ovoid, 2.2–3 × 1.9–2.7 mm, 3-lobed, pilose;

columella 2–2.4 mm.

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

columella 2–3 mm.
Seeds

gray-brown to pale gray, pyramidally ovoid, angular in cross section, 2.3–2.6 × 2.4–2.6 mm, coarsely tuberculate, tubercles in 2 transverse rows;

caruncle 0.2–0.4 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 usually 3, occasionally reduced to congested cyme, 1–2-branched;

pleiochasial bracts 2–4, often whorled, wholly green or paler green at base, similar in shape and size to distal leaves or slightly narrower;

dichasial bracts highly reduced.

Cyathia

peduncle 0.5–0.8 mm.

solitary or in small, cymose clusters at distal nodes;

peduncle 0.5–5 mm.
2n

= 56.

Euphorbia cuphosperma

Euphorbia polygonifolia
Phenology Flowering and fruiting summer–fall. Flowering and fruiting early summer–fall.
Habitat Open montane and canyon forests, pinyon-juniper forests, montane grasslands, stream beds, disturbed habitats. Sandy maritime and freshwater beaches and foredunes.
Elevation 800–2000 m. (2600–6600 ft.) 0–200 m. (0–700 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; NM; Mexico; Central America (Guatemala)
[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. 319. FNA vol. 12, p. 284.
Parent taxa Euphorbiaceae > Euphorbia > sect. Poinsettia Euphorbiaceae > Euphorbia > sect. Anisophyllum
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. crenulata, E. cumulicola, 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 E. dentata var. cuphosperma, Poinsettia cuphosperma Chamaesyce polygonifolia
Name authority (Engelmann) Boissier: in A. P. de Candolle and A. L. P. P. de Candolle, Prodr. 15(2): 73. (1862) 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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