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hairy-fruit spurge

mimicking sandmat, similar spurge

Habit Herbs, annual, with taproot. Herbs, annual or short-lived perennial, with usually slender, occasionally slightly thickened, rootstock.
Stems

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

branches ± straight.

prostrate to reclining, 5–40 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 distinct, subulate, 0.5–0.7 mm, glabrous;

petiole 0.7–1.3 mm, glabrous;

blade orbiculate, oval, to shortly oblong, 1–3.2 × 1.5–5 mm, base subsymmetric, rounded, margins entire, apex usually rounded, occasionally emarginate, surfaces glabrous;

venation obscure, only midvein conspicuous.

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.

turbinate to campanulate, 0.8–1.2 × 0.7–1 mm, glabrous;

glands 4, red to purple, slightly concave, elliptic, 0.2–0.3 × 0.4–0.5 mm;

appendages absent.

Staminate flowers

3–5.

15–36.

Pistillate flowers

ovary pilose;

styles 1.2 mm, 2-fid nearly entire length.

ovary glabrous;

styles 0.2–0.3 mm, 2-fid nearly entire length.

Capsules

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

columella 2–2.4 mm.

broadly ovoid, 1.3–1.8 × 1.5–2 mm, glabrous;

columella 1.1–1.4 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.

whitish, reddish brown beneath coat, oblong, 4-angled in cross section, 1.5–2 × 1.3–1.8 mm, with 5–7 faint transverse ridges or wrinkles.

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 at distal nodes;

peduncle 0.3–0.7 mm.

2n

= 56.

= 28.

Euphorbia cuphosperma

Euphorbia simulans

Phenology Flowering and fruiting summer–fall. Flowering and fruiting year-round.
Habitat Open montane and canyon forests, pinyon-juniper forests, montane grasslands, stream beds, disturbed habitats. Desert scrub, mountains, hills, canyons, arroyos, flats, roadsides, clay, sandy, gravelly, and rocky soils.
Elevation 800–2000 m. (2600–6600 ft.) 600–1300 m. (2000–4300 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; NM; Mexico; Central America (Guatemala)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
TX; Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila)
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Euphorbia simulans, which in the flora area is known only from Brewster, Hudspeth, and Presidio counties, is difficult to distinguish in the field from the sympatric E. theriaca var. theriaca, because they are mainly distinguished by seed morphology. The latter has smaller seeds with (two or) three (or four) prominent transverse ridges, whereas E. simulans has larger seeds that are slightly wrinkled.

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

Source FNA vol. 12, p. 319. FNA vol. 12, p. 289.
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. 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. 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 E. polycarpa var. simulans, Chamaesyce simulans
Name authority (Engelmann) Boissier: in A. P. de Candolle and A. L. P. P. de Candolle, Prodr. 15(2): 73. (1862) (L. C. Wheeler) Warnock & M. C. Johnston: SouthW. Naturalist 5: 170. (1960)
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