Euphorbia florida |
Euphorbia hirta |
|
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Chiricahua Mountain sandmat |
pillpod sandmat, pillpod spurge |
|
Habit | Herbs, annual, with slender taproot. | Herbs, annual or perennial, with slender to thickened taproot. |
Stems | erect, 15–60 cm, usually glabrous, rarely puberulent. |
usually erect to ascending, rarely prostrate or decumbent, 10–50(–75) cm, usually both strigillose and hirsute. |
Leaves | opposite; stipules distinct, divided into 3–4 subulate-filiform divisions, 0.4–1.6 mm, usually glabrous, rarely puberulent; petiole 0.5–2.5 mm, glabrous; blade usually linear, rarely to narrowly elliptic, 10–40(–60) × 0.5–2.5 mm, base symmetric, attenuate, margins serrulate, often revolute, apex acute, surfaces usually glabrous, rarely puberulent; obscurely pinnately veined. |
opposite; stipules usually distinct, rarely connate at base, undivided or divided into 2–4 narrowly deltate to linear-subulate segments, 0.5–1.8(–2.9) mm, pilose, often with light-colored, minute circular glands at base; petiole 1–3 mm, usually both strigillose and hirsute; blade ovate to rhombic, 7–43 × 3–18 mm, base strongly asymmetric, one side rounded or slightly cordate to truncate, the other cuneate to attenuate, margins serrulate to double serrulate, apex acute, surfaces often with red spot in center, usually strigose to hirtellous, rarely glabrescent; 3–5-veined from base. |
Involucre | obconic, 1.7–2.4 × 1.5–2.1 mm, glabrous; glands 4, greenish yellow to slightly pink, circular to oblong, 0.4–0.5 × 0.4–0.6 mm; appendages white to pink, obovoid, circular, flabellate, or oblong, 0.8–2.9 × 1–2.8 mm, distal margin entire. |
obconic, 0.6–1.2 × 0.4–0.9 mm, strigillose; glands 4, greenish to pink, circular, oblong, or reniform, 0.1–0.2 × 0.1–0.2 mm; appendages white to pink, flabellate, subcircular, or transversely oblong, rarely absent, (0–)0.1–0.6 × (0–)0.1–0.7 mm, distal margin usually entire, rarely slightly lobed. |
Staminate flowers | 25–35. |
2–8. |
Pistillate flowers | ovary glabrous; styles 0.8–1.4 mm, 2-fid entire length. |
ovary strigillose, often canescent when young; styles 0.2–0.6 mm, 2-fid 1/2 length. |
Capsules | oblate, 2.2–2.5 × 2.7–3.1 mm, glabrous; columella 1.8–2.1 mm. |
subglobose to slightly oblate, 1–1.3 × 1.1–1.6 mm, strigillose; columella 0.7–1 mm. |
Seeds | light gray to light brown, ovoid, slightly 4-angled in cross section, 1.6–2 × 1.3–1.7 mm, with 2 or 3 well-developed transverse ridges. |
brownish red to orange or pink, narrowly ovoid, 4-angled in cross section, 0.7–0.9 × 0.5–0.7 mm, usually rugulose or with 3–6 low transverse ridges, rarely nearly smooth. |
Cyathia | solitary at nodes or in small, cymose clusters at branch tips; peduncle 1.2–8.1 mm. |
in dense, axillary and terminal, capitate glomerules, with reduced, bractlike leaves subtending cyathia, axillary glomerules either sessile or at tips of elongated, leafless stalks; peduncle 0.4–2.1 mm. |
Euphorbia florida |
Euphorbia hirta |
|
Phenology | Flowering and fruiting summer–late fall. | Flowering and fruiting year-round. |
Habitat | Sandy flats, gravelly washes, rocky hillsides, talus slopes, desert scrub, desert grasslands, mesquite woodlands, rarely oak woodlands. | Disturbed areas, roadsides, vacant lots, desert grasslands, mesquite woodlands, riparian forests with cottonwoods and willows, flood plain forests, pinelands, deciduous forests. |
Elevation | 600–1300 m. (2000–4300 ft.) | 0–1500 m. (0–4900 ft.) |
Distribution |
AZ; Mexico (Sinaloa, Sonora)
|
AL; AR; AZ; CA; FL; GA; LA; MS; NC; NM; NY; SC; TX; Mexico; Central America; South America; West Indies; Bermuda [Introduced in North America; introduced also in Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia]
|
Discussion | Euphorbia florida is known in the flora area from Coconino County south to the Mexican border (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Euphorbia hirta is a widespread weed that is distributed throughout tropical and subtropical regions of the world. It is probably native to at least central Mexico, and its native range possibly extends from South America to the southern United States. In many places within the flora area the species is certainly introduced, and it has been recorded as a waif from several states (for example, Maryland, Michigan, and Virginia). Euphorbia pilulifera Linnaeus, a rejected name that is a heterotypic synonym of the Asian E. parviflora Linnaeus, has been misapplied to North American material of E. hirta in the past. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 12, p. 267. | FNA vol. 12, p. 271. |
Parent taxa | Euphorbiaceae > Euphorbia > sect. Anisophyllum | Euphorbiaceae > Euphorbia > sect. Anisophyllum |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Chamaesyce florida | Chamaesyce gemella, C. hirta, E. gemella |
Name authority | Engelmann: in W. H. Emory, Rep. U.S. Mex. Bound. 2(1): 189. (1859) | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 454. (1753) |
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