Euphorbia davidii |
Euphorbia trichotoma |
|
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David's poinsettia, David's spurge, tooth poinsettia, tooth spurge |
sand-dune spurge |
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Habit | Herbs, annual, with taproot. | Herbs, perennial, with thick rootstock. |
Stems | erect or ascending, 20–70 cm, both coarsely and sparsely hirsute and closely strigillose; branches usually ± straight, occasionally proximal branches arcuate. |
erect, branched, 15–40 cm, glabrous. |
Leaves | usually opposite, occasionally alternate at distal nodes; petiole 7–25 mm, strigose; blade usually narrowly to broadly elliptic, occasionally lance-elliptic, 10–100 × 5–35 mm, base cuneate to attenuate, margins coarsely crenate-dentate, strigose, revolute to nearly flat, apex broadly acute to acuminate, or obtuse, abaxial surface strigose with stiff, strongly tapered hairs, adaxial surface sparsely strigose-hirsute; venation pinnate, midvein prominent. |
petiole absent; blade obovate to oblanceolate, 5–20 × 2–7 mm, base broadly attenuate, margins entire, apex acute to obtuse, surfaces glabrous; venation pinnate, very obscure, midvein prominent. |
Involucre | cylindric, 2.5–3 × 1.3–1.8 mm, glabrous; involucral lobes divided into 5–7 linear, papillate lobes; gland 1, yellow-green, sessile and broadly attached, 0.9 × 1.3 mm, opening oblong, glabrous; appendages absent. |
hemispheric, 1–1.5 × 1.4–2 mm, glabrous; glands 5, elliptic to slightly crescent-shaped, 0.4–0.6 × 0.9–1.1 mm; horns divergent, 0.1–0.2 mm. |
Staminate flowers | 5–8. |
8–10. |
Pistillate flowers | ovary glabrous or sparsely strigose; styles 1 mm, 2-fid 1/2 to nearly entire length. |
ovary glabrous; styles 0.2–0.4 mm, 2-fid. |
Capsules | broadly ovoid, 2.9–3.3 × 4–4.8 mm, 3-lobed, glabrous; columella 2.2–2.7 mm. |
depressed-ovoid, 1.1–1.5 × 2–3 mm, strongly 3-lobed; cocci rounded, minutely papillate, sometimes appearing smooth, glabrous; columella 1.6–1.9 mm. |
Seeds | black to brown or pale gray, ovoid to triangular-ovoid, angular in cross section, 2.4–2.9 × 2.2–2.9 mm, low-tuberculate, tubercles irregularly arranged or in faint, transverse row; caruncle 0.9–1.1 mm. |
white, ovoid-globose, 1.8–2 × 1.6–1.8 mm, smooth; caruncle ± rounded and flattened, 0.3 × 0.3 mm. |
Cyathial | arrangement: terminal pleiochasial branches usually 3, occasionally reduced to congested cyme, 1–2-branched; pleiochasial bracts 2–4, often whorled, green with diffuse greenish white to mauve near base, similar in shape and size to distal leaves or slightly narrower; dichasial bracts similar in shape to distal leaves but smaller, often highly reduced. |
arrangement: terminal pleiochasial branches 3, each usually 1–2 times 3-branched, sometimes unbranched; pleiochasial bracts similar in shape and size to distal leaves, alternate; dichasial bracts distinct, obovate to oblanceolate, base broadly attenuate, margins entire, apex acute to obtuse; axillary cymose branches 0. |
Cyathia | peduncle 0.5–1 mm. |
peduncle 0.7–1 mm. |
2n | = 56. |
|
Euphorbia davidii |
Euphorbia trichotoma |
|
Phenology | Flowering and fruiting summer–fall. | Flowering and fruiting year-round (primarily spring–summer). |
Habitat | Forests, stream and riverbanks, prairies, roadsides and open disturbed areas. | Coastal beaches, sand dunes, thickets. |
Elevation | 200–1500 m. (700–4900 ft.) | 0–10 m. (0–0 ft.) |
Distribution |
AR; AZ; CA; CO; FL; IA; ID; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MI; MN; MO; NC; NE; NJ; NM; NY; OH; OK; SD; TN; TX; UT; VA; VT; WI; WV; WY; ON; QC; Mexico (Chihuahua, Coahuila, Sonora) [Introduced in South America, Eurasia (China, Russia), Australia]
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FL; Mexico; Central America; West Indies |
Discussion | Euphorbia davidii is native from the southwestern United States and northern Mexico north through the southern Great Plains; it apparently is adventive elsewhere. The species is the weediest member of the E. dentata species group (following M. H. Mayfield 1997) and has become an agricultural weed in North America, South America (for example, Argentina), and in the Old World (particularly Australia and Russia). Euphorbia davidii can be distinguished from the closely similar E. dentata by its larger capsules and seeds, often more elliptic leaves, and shorter, stiffer hairs. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Euphorbia trichotoma is found in coastal peninsular Florida from Hillsborough County south to Key West. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 12, p. 320. | FNA vol. 12, p. 311. |
Parent taxa | Euphorbiaceae > Euphorbia > sect. Poinsettia | Euphorbiaceae > Euphorbia > subg. Esula |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Galarhoeus trichotomus, Tithymalus trichotomus | |
Name authority | Subils: Kurtziana 17: 125, figs. 1, 2H–J. (1984) | Kunth: in A. von Humboldt et al., Nov. Gen. Sp. 2(fol.): 48; 2(qto.): 60. (1817) |
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