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graceful sandmat, graceful spurge

Florida pineland spurge

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

erect to ascending, 15–50 cm, glabrous.

erect or ascending, 15–40 cm.

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.

petiole absent or indistinct, blade linear to linear-elliptic or lanceolate, (25–)30–60(–115) × 1.5–14(–15) mm, chartaceous, base attenuate, apex acuminate, acute, or rounded and mucronate;

only midvein evident.

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.

obconic or campanulate, 1.3–3.2 × 1.6–3.6 mm, lobes ovate, oblong, or nearly rectangular, 0.6–1 mm, laciniate-ciliate;

glands red to greenish, oblong or nearly circular, 0.8–1 × 1.1–2 mm, distal margins crenulate-erose, undulate, or entire.

Staminate flowers

(0–)2–20.

20–25.

Pistillate flowers

ovary glabrous;

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

gynophore exserted 2.6–6.1 mm, calyxlike lobes triangular to subulate, 0.6–1.4 mm;

styles connate 1/8 length, 1.3–2.2 mm.

Capsules

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

columella 1–1.1 mm.

oblate-ovoid, 5.1–6.1 × 6.9–8.6 mm, 3-lobed;

columella 3.9–4.7 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.

brown to blackish, ovoid-globose, circular or faintly 3- or 4-angled in cross section, 2.9–3.4 × 2.7–3 mm, smooth, base flattened or rounded, apex rounded or with inconspicuous blunt point.

Cyathia

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

peduncle 0.5–1.8 mm.

peduncle 6–24 mm (often exceeding dichasial bracts).

Cyathial

arrangement: terminal pleiochasial branches 2–3, 5–18 cm, 3–8 times 2-branched;

pleiochasial bracts linear-lanceolate or narrowly ovate, 25–49 × 5–9 mm, margins entire, apex acute or acuminate;

dichasial bracts ovate or lanceolate, 6–21 × 2–6 mm, margins entire, apex acute or acuminate;

axillary cymose branches 1–5.

Euphorbia hypericifolia

Euphorbia inundata

Phenology Flowering and fruiting early spring–late fall.
Habitat Open, disturbed areas, nurseries.
Elevation 0–200 m. (0–700 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
AL; FL; GA; MS
[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.)

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

Euphorbia inundata has a disjunct distribution in the southeastern United States. Allopatric, narrow-leaved populations from the west-central Florida peninsula are segregated as var. garrettii (E. L. Bridges and S. L. Orzell 2002).

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

Key
1. Leaf blades usually linear to narrowly elliptic or narrowly lanceolate, rarely oblanceolate, (3–)4–14(–15) mm wide, length usually 5–10(–25) times width; apex obtuse to short-acute; se Mississippi to ne Florida.
var. inundata
1. Leaf blades narrowly linear, linear, or narrowly linear-lanceolate, 1.5–3.5(–4.5) mm wide, length 15–20(–50) times width, apex short-acute to acuminate; wc Florida.
var. garrettii
Source FNA vol. 12, p. 272. FNA vol. 12, p. 314.
Parent taxa Euphorbiaceae > Euphorbia > sect. Anisophyllum Euphorbiaceae > Euphorbia > sect. Nummulariopsis
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. 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. hyssopifolia, E. indivisa, E. innocua, 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
Subordinate taxa
E. inundata var. garrettii, E. inundata var. inundata
Synonyms Chamaesyce glomerifera, C. hypericifolia, E. glomerifera Galarhoeus inundatus
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 454. (1753) Torrey ex Chapman: Fl. South. U.S., 402. (1860)
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