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Curtis' spurge, Sandhills spurge

limestone sandmat

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

erect or ascending, branched, solitary or few, previous year's dead stems not persistent, 20–40 cm, usually glabrous, rarely strigose to sericeous at nodes.

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

Leaves

alternate;

stipules to 0.1 mm;

petiole to (0–)1–2 mm, glabrous or strigose to sericeous;

blade usually linear, occasionally elliptic, rarely ovate, proximal often greatly reduced and often scalelike, 10–30 × 1.5–6 mm, base cuneate, margins entire, occasionally sparsely ciliate, apex rounded or broadly acute, abaxial surface glabrous or sparsely strigose to sericeous, adaxial surface glabrous;

venation obscure, only midvein conspicuous.

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

campanulate, 1–1.2 × 1.3–1.5(–1.7) mm, glabrous or strigose to sericeous on distal 1/2;

glands 5, green, reniform, 0.3 × 0.6 mm;

appendages white, semicircular, 0.3–0.4 × 0.6–0.8 mm, entire.

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

20–25.

8–12.

Pistillate flowers

ovary glabrous or sparsely strigose to sericeous;

styles 0.6–1.1 mm, 2-fid at apex to 1/2 length.

ovary glabrous;

styles 0.3–0.4 mm, 2-fid 1/2 length.

Capsules

globose, 2.5–3.2 × 4.3–5.1 mm, glabrous or sparsely strigose to sericeous;

columella 2.4–3.1 mm.

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

columella 1.2–1.6 mm.

Seeds

usually gray to black, occasionally brown, ovoid-globose, 2.2 × 1.8 mm, smooth;

caruncle absent.

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

Cyathia

in terminal pleiochasia (fertile axillary branches occasionally present);

peduncle 6.5–17 mm, filiform, glabrous.

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

peduncle 0.4–0.6 mm.

Euphorbia curtisii

Euphorbia blodgettii

Phenology Flowering and fruiting early spring–summer. Flowering and fruiting year-round.
Habitat Xeric to dry oak or oak-pine scrub of sand hills, pine-oak woodlands, pine-oak savannas. Coastal sand dunes and disturbed upland sandy areas.
Elevation 0–200 m. (0–700 ft.) 0–20 m. (0–100 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
FL; GA; NC; SC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
FL
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Euphorbia curtisii is found in the Gulf and Atlantic coastal plains.

(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. 245. FNA vol. 12, p. 261.
Parent taxa Euphorbiaceae > Euphorbia > sect. Alectoroctonum 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. cuphosperma, 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 E. eriogonoides, Tithymalopsis curtisii, T. eriogonoides Chamaesyce blodgettii, C. nashii
Name authority Engelmann ex Chapman: Fl. South. U.S., 401. (1860) Engelmann ex Hitchcock: Rep. (Annual) Missouri Bot. Gard. 4: 126, plate 13. (1893)
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