Flora of North America species comparison

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Euphorbia cyathophora

Euphorbia rayturneri

fire on the mountain, painted leaf, painted poinsettia
Habit Herbs, annual, with spreading taproots. Herbs, annual, with slender taproot.
Stems

erect or ascending, 20–100 cm, glabrous, sparsely pilose, or puberulent;

branches ± straight.

prostrate, 4–8 cm, uniformly strigillose.
Leaves

usually alternate, occasionally opposite proximally;

petiole 2–20 mm, glabrous or pilose, or often hispid abaxially near blade junction;

blade linear, lanceolate, elliptic, or wider leaves pandurate and unequally 4-lobed, occasionally polymorphic on single plants, 15–250 × 4–40 mm, base acute to cuneate, margins subulately glandular-serrulate distally, or sparsely glandular and subentire, hirtellous to glabrate, flat to revolute, apex acute to cuneate, abaxial surface sparsely pilose or glabrate, adaxial surface glabrous or sparsely puberulent;

venation pinnate, midvein prominent.

opposite;

stipules distinct, filiform, 0.6–0.9 mm, pilose;

petiole 0.5–0.9 mm, strigillose;

blade ovate to elliptic, often slightly falcate, 5–11 × 2–5 mm, base asymmetric, one side cordate, other round to attenuate, margins sharply serrulate, apex acute, surfaces often with red spot toward middle, abaxial surface strigillose, adaxial surface glabrescent;

only midvein conspicuous.
Involucre

campanulate, occasionally broadly so, 1.8–2.8 × 2.2–2.8 mm, glabrous;

involucral lobes triangularly 3–5 lobed;

gland 1, yellow-green, sessile to substipitate and narrowly to broadly attached, 1–1.4 × 0.9–1.6 mm, opening oblong (flattened without pressing), without annular rim, glabrous;

appendages absent.

obconic, 0.9–1.2 × 0.8–1.2 mm, strigillose;

glands 4, green, yellow, or light pink, circular to oblong, 0.2 × 0.2–0.3 mm;

appendages absent or green, yellow, or light pink, forming narrow margin on distal portion of gland, 0–0.1 × 0.2–0.3 mm, distal margin entire.
Staminate flowers

7–20.

5–8.
Pistillate flowers

ovary glabrous;

styles 1.6 mm, 2-fid nearly entire length.

ovary strigillose-canescent;

styles 0.3–0.4 mm, unbranched.
Capsules

green, depressed-globose to ellipsoid, 2.8–3.2 × 4–4.5 mm, 3-lobed, glabrous;

columella 2–2.7 mm.

oblate, 1.7–2 × 2.2–2.7 mm, strigillose;

columella 1.5–1.9 mm.
Seeds

black to ashy gray or light brown, cylindric to ovoid, rounded in cross section, 2.3–3.1 × 1.9–2.5 mm, uniformly tuberculate or tubercles arranged in median, transverse ridge in cylindric seeds;

caruncle absent.

blackish brown, broadly ovoid, 3-angled in cross section, 1.2–1.4 × 1–1.1 mm, with 2 well-defined transverse ridges that do not pass through abaxial keel.
Cyathial

arrangement: terminal pleiochasial branches (1–)3, 1–2-branched;

pleiochasial bracts 2–3(–4), often as tight, involucrate whorl, usually green with white, pink, or red at base, occasionally distal bracts wholly white, pink, or red, rarely all bracts wholly green, similar in shape and size to distal leaves;

dichasial bracts often colored, similar in shape and size to distal stem leaves or highly reduced.

Cyathia

peduncle 1.6–2.8 mm.

solitary at distal nodes;

peduncle 0.5–1.6 mm.
2n

= 28, 56.

= 14.

Euphorbia cyathophora

Euphorbia rayturneri
Phenology Flowering and fruiting late spring–fall. Flowering and fruiting late summer–early fall.
Habitat Bottomland forests, stream and river banks, bases of bluffs, fallow fields, roadsides, open disturbed areas. Desert grasslands.
Elevation 0–1800 m. (0–5900 ft.) 1400–1700 m. (4600–5600 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; CA; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MD; MN; MO; MS; NC; NE; NM; OH; OK; SC; SD; TN; TX; UT; VA; WI; Mexico; Central America; South America; West Indies [Introduced in Eurasia, Africa, Indian Ocean Islands, Pacific Islands, Australia]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
NM
Discussion

Euphorbia cyathophora is native to the midwestern and southeastern United States, Mexico, the West Indies, and northern South America. Leaf shape can be polymorphic on individuals of this species, but not to the extent as in E. heterophylla.

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

Euphorbia rayturneri is known from only three collections in extreme southwestern New Mexico. Given its close proximity to the Mexican border, the species may also occur in the adjacent states of Chihuahua or Sonora.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 12, p. 319. FNA vol. 12, p. 286.
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. cuphosperma, E. curtisii, 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. 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 Poinsettia cyathophora
Name authority Murray: Commentat. Soc. Regiae Sci. Gott. 7: 81, plate 1. (1786) V. W. Steinmann & Jercinovic: Novon 22: 482, figs. 1, 2. (2013)
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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