Euphorbia curtisii |
Euphorbia conferta |
|
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Curtis' spurge, Sandhills spurge |
Everglade key sandmat |
|
Habit | Herbs, perennial, with spreading rootstock. | Herbs, annual, with taproot. |
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, ascending, to erect, 10–45 cm, pilose. |
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, 1–2 mm, pilose; petiole 0.9–1.5 mm, pilose; blade oblanceolate to elliptic, 3–10 × 1–4 mm, base asymmetric, obtuse to hemicordate, margins coarsely serrate, sometimes revolute, apex rounded to acute, abaxial surface sparsely hispidulous to strigillose (densely so on young leaves), adaxial surface glabrous; 3-veined from base but 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. |
campanulate, 1.1–1.4 × 0.5–0.7 mm, pilose; glands 4, red, narrowly reniform, 0.1 × 0.2–0.4 mm; appendages pink to red, larger 2 petal-like, smaller 2 elliptic, 0.4–1 × 0.3–0.5 mm, distal margin erose. |
Staminate flowers | 20–25. |
5–8. |
Pistillate flowers | ovary glabrous or sparsely strigose to sericeous; styles 0.6–1.1 mm, 2-fid at apex to 1/2 length. |
ovary pilose; styles 0.4–0.8 mm, 2-fid at apex. |
Capsules | globose, 2.5–3.2 × 4.3–5.1 mm, glabrous or sparsely strigose to sericeous; columella 2.4–3.1 mm. |
conic or truncate-ovoid, 1–1.2 mm diam., pilose; columella 0.9–1.1 mm. |
Seeds | usually gray to black, occasionally brown, ovoid-globose, 2.2 × 1.8 mm, smooth; caruncle absent. |
orange-brown, glaucous, oblong, 4-angled in cross section, 0.7–0.8 × 0.4–0.5 mm, slightly rugose and with 3–4 transverse ridges. |
Cyathia | in terminal pleiochasia (fertile axillary branches occasionally present); peduncle 6.5–17 mm, filiform, glabrous. |
solitary at distal nodes (appearing clustered at points of new growth); peduncle 0.4–0.6 mm. |
Euphorbia curtisii |
Euphorbia conferta |
|
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. | Sandy, disturbed, wet areas, often roadsides. |
Elevation | 0–200 m. (0–700 ft.) | 0–10 m. (0–0 ft.) |
Distribution |
FL; GA; NC; SC
|
FL |
Discussion | Euphorbia curtisii is found in the Gulf and Atlantic coastal plains. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Euphorbia conferta is known only from Broward, Miami-Dade, and Monroe counties in southern Florida. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 12, p. 245. | FNA vol. 12, p. 264. |
Parent taxa | Euphorbiaceae > Euphorbia > sect. Alectoroctonum | Euphorbiaceae > Euphorbia > sect. Anisophyllum |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | E. eriogonoides, Tithymalopsis curtisii, T. eriogonoides | Chamaesyce conferta |
Name authority | Engelmann ex Chapman: Fl. South. U.S., 401. (1860) | (Small) B. E. Smith: J. Elisha Mitchell Sci. Soc. 62: 82. (1946) |
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