Euphorbia hexagona |
Euphorbia corollata |
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six-angle spurge |
eastern flowering spurge, flowering spurge, floweringspurge euphorbia |
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Habit | Herbs, annual, with taproot. | Herbs, perennial, with deep, spreading rootstock. |
Stems | erect, unbranched or branched, 30–70(–100) cm, sparsely hispid, occasionally densely so at distal nodes. |
erect or ascending, usually unbranched, occasionally few branched, solitary or few, previous year's dead stems not persistent, 20–100 cm, glabrous or slightly pilose to villous. |
Leaves | opposite; stipules (0–)0.1 mm; petiole 1–4 mm, pilose; blade linear-filiform, linear, or elliptic, 21–40 × 0.9–7.5 mm, base attenuate, margins entire, apex acute, abaxial surface sparsely hispidulous to strigillose, adaxial surface glabrous; venation obscure, only midvein conspicuous. |
alternate, ascending; stipules 0.1–0.2 mm; petiole minute or absent; blade oblanceolate, obovate, or elliptic, 25–55 × 5–12 mm, base cuneate to rounded, margins entire, occasionally slightly revolute, apex rounded to subacute, abaxial surface glabrous or pilose to villous, adaxial surface usually glabrous, rarely villous; venation occasionally obscure on small leaves, midvein conspicuous. |
Involucre | campanulate, 1–1.5 × (1–)1.5–1.8 mm, hispid; glands 5, green to deep red, elliptic to reniform, 0.5 × 0.8–1 mm; appendages white to green, tinged red, deltate to ovate, 0.7–1.7 × (0.9–)1.3–1.5 mm, entire. |
campanulate, 1.2–1.5 × 1.2–1.5(–2) mm, glabrous or moderately puberulent (especially near glands); glands 5, green, reniform, 0.5 × 0.8–1 mm; appendages white, flabellate, 2.5–3.5(–4.5) × 2.5–3.2 mm, entire. |
Staminate flowers | 15–30(–40). |
20–25. |
Pistillate flowers | ovary glabrous; styles 0.7–1.1 mm, 2-fid nearly entire length. |
ovary glabrous; styles 0.8–1.4 mm, 2-fid at apex to 1/2 length. |
Capsules | subglobose to broadly ovoid, 4.7–6.5 × 4.9–6.5(–7.1) mm, glabrous; columella 3.5–4.5 mm. |
globose, 2.3–3 × 3.5–4.2 mm, glabrous; columella 2–2.5 mm. |
Seeds | dark brown or dark gray, ovoid, 3.4 × 2.7 mm, rugose, whitish glaucous; caruncle absent. |
white or light gray, ovoid, 2.5–2.8 × 2.2 mm, with shallow and coarse depressions; caruncle absent. |
Cyathia | solitary in leaf axils or in terminal cymes or dichasia; peduncle 1–2.1 mm, strigillose. |
in terminal pleiochasia, dichasial bracts occasionally whorled or rarely alternate; peduncle (1.5–)5–11(–13) mm (proximal to 70 mm), glabrous. |
Euphorbia hexagona |
Euphorbia corollata |
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Phenology | Flowering and fruiting late summer–fall. | Flowering and fruiting early summer–fall. |
Habitat | Sand prairies, other sandy soil habitats, stream banks, sand bars, damp places. | Prairies, open fields, upland woods, glades, barrens, borders of swamps, roadsides, disturbed sites. |
Elevation | 200–1300 m. (700–4300 ft.) | 0–1300 m. (0–4300 ft.) |
Distribution |
AR; CO; IA; IL; KS; MN; MO; MT; NE; NM; OK; SD; TX; WI; WY
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AL; AR; CT; DE; GA; IA; IL; IN; KS; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; MO; MS; NC; NE; NH; NJ; NY; OH; OK; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; TX; VA; VT; WI; WV; ON
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Discussion | Euphorbia hexagona is native to the central United States and is most common from southern South Dakota to Oklahoma and northern Texas. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Euphorbia corollata is morphologically variable and widely distributed across a large part of eastern North America. The species appears to be expanding its range, as adventive populations have been reported from disturbed habitats at the northern edge of its range in Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, South Dakota, and Vermont. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 12, p. 247. | FNA vol. 12, p. 244. |
Parent taxa | Euphorbiaceae > Euphorbia > sect. Alectoroctonum | Euphorbiaceae > Euphorbia > sect. Alectoroctonum |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | E. corollata var. molle, E. corollata var. viridiflora, E. marilandica, E. olivacea, Tithymalopsis corollata, T. olivacea | |
Name authority | Nuttall ex Sprengel: Syst. Veg. 3: 791. (1826) | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 459. (1753) |
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