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summer spurge

hyssopleaf sandmat

Habit Herbs, perennial, with spreading rootstock. Herbs, annual, with taproot.
Stems

erect or ascending, unbranched, solitary or few, previous year's dead stems not persistent, 45–70 cm, usually densely puberulent to sericeous, rarely glabrous.

erect to ascending, 80 cm, sparsely to densely pilose or pilose-crinkled proximally, usually glabrous distally.

Leaves

alternate;

stipules to 0.1 mm;

petiole (0–)1–2 mm (or absent), densely puberulent;

blade usually linear, rarely ovate, 25–55 × 1.5–4 mm, base cuneate, margins entire, revolute, apex rounded, abaxial surface glabrous or puberulent to sericeous, adaxial surface glabrous;

venation often obscure on smaller leaves, midvein conspicuous.

opposite;

stipules usually connate, irregularly lacerate, 0.5–1 mm, usually glabrous, occasionally with few marginal hairs;

petiole 1–2 mm, glabrous;

blade lanceolate to oblong or falcate, 8–35 × 7–15 mm, base asymmetric, rounded, margins serrulate, apex broadly acute, abaxial surface glabrous or sparsely pilose toward base, adaxial surface glabrous; palmately veined at base, pinnate distally.

Involucre

campanulate, 1.2–1.4 × 1.2–2 mm, sparsely to densely puberulent;

glands 5, green, reniform, 0.2–0.3 × 0.5–0.6 mm;

appendages white, orbiculate to oblong, (0.5–)1–1.7 × 1–1.5 mm, entire.

obconic, 0.9–1.1 × 0.7–0.9 mm, glabrous;

glands 4(–5) (5th gland without appendage), yellow-green to maroon, elliptic to circular, 0.1–0.2 × 0.1–0.3 mm;

appendages spreading, usually white or turning reddish with age, short reniform or semilunate, 0.1–0.3 × 0.2–0.6 mm, distal margin entire or slightly undulate to crenate.

Staminate flowers

20–25.

4–15.

Pistillate flowers

ovary glabrous or sparsely strigose;

styles 0.5–1.1 mm, 2-fid at apex to 1/2 length.

ovary glabrous;

styles 0.5–0.9 mm, 2-fid 1/2 length.

Capsules

globose, 1.8–3 × 2.5–4.8 mm, glabrous or sparsely strigose;

columella 2.3–2.5 mm.

depressed-ovoid, 1.5–1.6 × 1.7–1.8 mm, glabrous;

columella 1.5–2 mm.

Seeds

light gray, ovoid, 2 × 1.2–1.3 mm, smooth or with few, very shallow depressions;

caruncle absent.

brown to grayish white, ovoid, slightly 4-angled in cross section, abaxial faces convex, adaxial faces slightly concave to slightly convex, 1–1.4 × 0.7–1.1 mm, with 2–3 prominent transverse ridges that do not interrupt adaxial keel, or coarsely and inconspicuously pitted-reticulate.

Cyathia

in terminal pleiochasia;

peduncle 5–15 mm, filiform, glabrous or very sparsely puberulent to sericeous.

solitary or in small, cymose clusters occasionally with bractlike leaves at distal nodes or on congested, axillary branches;

peduncle 0.5–2.5 mm.

2n

= 12, 14.

Euphorbia discoidalis

Euphorbia hyssopifolia

Phenology Flowering and fruiting late spring–fall. Flowering and fruiting late spring–early fall.
Habitat Sand hills, pine savannas, woodland borders, open fields with sandy soils. Disturbed areas, ditches, gardens.
Elevation 0–150 m. (0–500 ft.) 0–1500 m. (0–4900 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; FL; GA; LA; MS; TX
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AL; AZ; FL; GA; LA; MS; NM; SC; TX; UT; Mexico; Central America; South America; West Indies [Introduced in tropical Asia, Africa, Australia]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

M. J. Huft (1979) remarked that Euphorbia discoidalis is uncommon west of Alabama and referred many narrow-leaved specimens from Louisiana and Texas to E. corollata. K. R. Park (1998) included them in an expanded E. discoidalis, and that is followed here. The western populations can be distinguished from E. corollata by their shorter involucral gland appendages and revolute leaf margins. Further study of these western populations is warranted.

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

Euphorbia hyssopifolia is native to the New World tropics and is probably also native to parts of the southern United States. However, at least some of the records from the flora area appear to be from adventive plants.

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

Source FNA vol. 12, p. 245. FNA vol. 12, p. 272.
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. curtisii, E. cyathophora, E. cyparissias, E. davidii, E. deltoidea, E. dendroides, E. dentata, 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. 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 Tithymalopsis discoidalis Chamaesyce hyssopifolia, E. jonesii, E. stenomeres
Name authority Chapman: Fl. South. U.S., 401. (1860) Linnaeus: Syst. Nat. ed. 10, 2: 1048. (1759)
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