Euphorbia florida |
Euphorbia prostrata |
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Chiricahua Mountain sandmat |
blue weed, ground spurge, prostrate sandmat, prostrate spurge or sandmat |
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Habit | Herbs, annual, with slender taproot. | Herbs, annual, with taproot. |
Stems | erect, 15–60 cm, usually glabrous, rarely puberulent. |
prostrate to decumbent, usually not mat-forming, 10–30 cm, crisped-villous to glabrate (proximally). |
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 connate (lower side) or distinct (upper side), triangular-subulate, often lacerate distally, 0.5–1 mm, short crisped-villous to glabrate; petiole 0.5–1.5 mm, usually short crisped-villous, sometimes wooly at distal nodes; blade broadly elliptic to elliptic-oblong, ovate-spatulate, or ovate, 3–11(–15) × 3–6(–8) mm, base slightly asymmetric, rounded to slightly cordate and oblique, margins serrulate at least in distal 1/2, sometimes obscurely so, apex obtuse, abaxial surface finely crisped-villous, adaxial surface usually glabrous or glabrate, sometimes sparsely crisped-villous; 3-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, 0.6–0.9 × 0.5 mm, crisped-villous or glabrous; glands 4, reddish, oval to oblong, 0.1 × 0.1–0.2 mm; appendages white to pink, rudimentary, 0–0.2 mm, distal margin entire or irregularly scalloped. |
Staminate flowers | 25–35. |
3–6. |
Pistillate flowers | ovary glabrous; styles 0.8–1.4 mm, 2-fid entire length. |
ovary densely crisped-villous; styles 0.1 mm, 2-fid nearly entire length. |
Capsules | oblate, 2.2–2.5 × 2.7–3.1 mm, glabrous; columella 1.8–2.1 mm. |
broadly ovoid, 1.2–2 × 1.4–1.5 mm, crisped-villous along keels and toward base, often glabrous between keels; columella 1–1.2 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. |
white but with barely concealed brown surface beneath, ovoid, sharply 4-angled in cross section, abaxial faces plane to convex, adaxial faces concave, 0.8–1.1 × 0.5–0.7 mm, with several narrow, sharp, slightly irregular, transverse ridges. |
Cyathia | solitary at nodes or in small, cymose clusters at branch tips; peduncle 1.2–8.1 mm. |
solitary or in small, cymose clusters at distal nodes or on congested, axillary branches; peduncle 1–2 mm. |
2n | = 18. |
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Euphorbia florida |
Euphorbia prostrata |
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Phenology | Flowering and fruiting summer–late fall. | Flowering and fruiting early spring–fall. |
Habitat | Sandy flats, gravelly washes, rocky hillsides, talus slopes, desert scrub, desert grasslands, mesquite woodlands, rarely oak woodlands. | Disturbed areas, fields, gardens, sidewalks, sandy places, ballast piles. |
Elevation | 600–1300 m. (2000–4300 ft.) | 0–1400 m. (0–4600 ft.) |
Distribution |
AZ; Mexico (Sinaloa, Sonora)
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AL; AR; AZ; CA; CO; FL; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; MI; MO; MS; NC; NE; NM; OH; OK; PA; SC; SD; TN; TX; UT; VA; WV; WY; Mexico; Central America; South America; West Indies [Introduced in Eurasia, Africa, Pacific Islands, Australia]
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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 prostrata is native to tropical America and possibly into the southern part of the flora area. It is likely adventive throughout most of the northern part of its range. It is widely naturalized throughout much of the rest of the tropics. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 12, p. 267. | FNA vol. 12, p. 285. |
Parent taxa | Euphorbiaceae > Euphorbia > sect. Anisophyllum | Euphorbiaceae > Euphorbia > sect. Anisophyllum |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Chamaesyce florida | Chamaesyce prostrata |
Name authority | Engelmann: in W. H. Emory, Rep. U.S. Mex. Bound. 2(1): 189. (1859) | Aiton: Hort. Kew. 2: 139. (1789) |
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