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graceful sandmat, graceful spurge

Everglade key sandmat

Habit Herbs, annual, with taproot. Herbs, annual, with taproot.
Stems

erect to ascending, 15–50 cm, glabrous.

prostrate, ascending, to erect, 10–45 cm, pilose.

Leaves

opposite;

stipules connate, deltate, usually entire, sometimes laciniate-fringed at tip, 1.5–2.2 mm, glabrous;

petiole 1–3 mm, glabrous;

blade obliquely oblong-oblanceolate, 10–35 × 7–15 mm, base asymmetric, oblique, margins serrate or serrulate, especially toward apex, apex broadly acute, surfaces glabrous; palmately veined at base, pinnate distally.

opposite;

stipules distinct, subulate, 1–2 mm, pilose;

petiole 0.9–1.5 mm, pilose;

blade oblanceolate to elliptic, 3–10 × 1–4 mm, base asymmetric, obtuse to hemicordate, margins coarsely serrate, sometimes revolute, apex rounded to acute, abaxial surface sparsely hispidulous to strigillose (densely so on young leaves), adaxial surface glabrous; 3-veined from base but only midvein conspicuous.

Involucre

obconic, 0.9–1.1 × 0.4–0.9 mm, glabrous;

glands 4, yellow-green to brown, stipitate, subcircular, 0.2 × 0.2 mm, occasionally nearly rudimentary;

appendages absent on smaller glands or white to pink, shape highly variable, usually round to ± elliptic, 0.3–0.4 × 0.5–0.7 mm, distal margin entire.

campanulate, 1.1–1.4 × 0.5–0.7 mm, pilose;

glands 4, red, narrowly reniform, 0.1 × 0.2–0.4 mm;

appendages pink to red, larger 2 petal-like, smaller 2 elliptic, 0.4–1 × 0.3–0.5 mm, distal margin erose.

Staminate flowers

(0–)2–20.

5–8.

Pistillate flowers

ovary glabrous;

styles 0.4 mm, 2-fid 1/2 length.

ovary pilose;

styles 0.4–0.8 mm, 2-fid at apex.

Capsules

depressed-globoid, 1.3–1.4 × 1.1–1.5 mm, glabrous;

columella 1–1.1 mm.

conic or truncate-ovoid, 1–1.2 mm diam., pilose;

columella 0.9–1.1 mm.

Seeds

with very thin whitish mucilaginous coat over light brown testa below, ovoid-triangular, bluntly 4-angled in cross section, 0.9–1.1 × 0.5 mm, with shallow irregular depressions alternating with low, smooth ridges.

orange-brown, glaucous, oblong, 4-angled in cross section, 0.7–0.8 × 0.4–0.5 mm, slightly rugose and with 3–4 transverse ridges.

Cyathia

in dense, axillary and terminal, capitate glomerules with reduced, bractlike leaves subtending cyathia;

peduncle 0.5–1.8 mm.

solitary at distal nodes (appearing clustered at points of new growth);

peduncle 0.4–0.6 mm.

Euphorbia hypericifolia

Euphorbia conferta

Phenology Flowering and fruiting early spring–late fall. Flowering and fruiting year-round.
Habitat Open, disturbed areas, nurseries. Sandy, disturbed, wet areas, often roadsides.
Elevation 0–200 m. (0–700 ft.) 0–10 m. (0–0 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; AR; FL; GA; LA; OK; SC; TX; Central America; South America; West Indies [Introduced in Asia, Pacific Islands]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
FL
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Euphorbia hypericifolia is native to the New World tropics, and it is most likely adventive in the flora area (where it is most widely distributed in Florida and Texas). Reports from Arizona, California, and Maryland likely represent waifs or misidentifications.

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

Euphorbia conferta is known only from Broward, Miami-Dade, and Monroe counties in southern Florida.

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

Source FNA vol. 12, p. 272. FNA vol. 12, p. 264.
Parent taxa Euphorbiaceae > Euphorbia > sect. Anisophyllum 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. 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. 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. 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. 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
Synonyms Chamaesyce glomerifera, C. hypericifolia, E. glomerifera Chamaesyce conferta
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 454. (1753) (Small) B. E. Smith: J. Elisha Mitchell Sci. Soc. 62: 82. (1946)
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