Euphorbia hyssopifolia |
Euphorbia agraria |
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hyssopleaf sandmat |
urban spurge |
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Habit | Herbs, annual, with taproot. | Herbs, perennial, with slender, spreading rootstock. |
Stems | erect to ascending, 80 cm, sparsely to densely pilose or pilose-crinkled proximally, usually glabrous distally. |
erect or ascending, unbranched or branched, 30–90 cm, glabrous. |
Leaves | opposite; stipules usually connate, irregularly lacerate, 0.5–1 mm, usually glabrous, occasionally with few marginal hairs; petiole 1–2 mm, glabrous; blade lanceolate to oblong or falcate, 8–35 × 7–15 mm, base asymmetric, rounded, margins serrulate, apex broadly acute, abaxial surface glabrous or sparsely pilose toward base, adaxial surface glabrous; palmately veined at base, pinnate distally. |
petiole absent; blade oblong-elliptic, 20–65 × 9–20 mm, base truncate to auriculate, margins entire, apex obtuse to rounded, surfaces glabrous; venation conspicuously pinnate, midvein prominent. |
Involucre | obconic, 0.9–1.1 × 0.7–0.9 mm, glabrous; glands 4(–5) (5th gland without appendage), yellow-green to maroon, elliptic to circular, 0.1–0.2 × 0.1–0.3 mm; appendages spreading, usually white or turning reddish with age, short reniform or semilunate, 0.1–0.3 × 0.2–0.6 mm, distal margin entire or slightly undulate to crenate. |
campanulate, 2.2–3 × 1.8–2 mm, glabrous; glands 4, crescent-shaped; 0.6–1 × 1–2 mm; horns slightly divergent to convergent, 0.1–0.2 mm. |
Staminate flowers | 4–15. |
15–20. |
Pistillate flowers | ovary glabrous; styles 0.5–0.9 mm, 2-fid 1/2 length. |
ovary glabrous; styles 1.2–2 mm, 2-fid. |
Capsules | depressed-ovoid, 1.5–1.6 × 1.7–1.8 mm, glabrous; columella 1.5–2 mm. |
globose, 2–2.8 × 2.2–2.7 mm, 3-lobed; cocci rounded, smooth except finely granulate toward abaxial line, glabrous; columella 2.1–2.7 mm. |
Seeds | brown to grayish white, ovoid, slightly 4-angled in cross section, abaxial faces convex, adaxial faces slightly concave to slightly convex, 1–1.4 × 0.7–1.1 mm, with 2–3 prominent transverse ridges that do not interrupt adaxial keel, or coarsely and inconspicuously pitted-reticulate. |
gray or whitish, ovoid-oblong, 2–2.1 × 1.2–1.3 mm, smooth; caruncle ± rounded and flattened, 0.8 × 0.6 mm. |
Cyathia | solitary or in small, cymose clusters occasionally with bractlike leaves at distal nodes or on congested, axillary branches; peduncle 0.5–2.5 mm. |
peduncle 0–2 mm. |
Cyathial | arrangement: terminal pleiochasial branches 8–15, 1–2 times 2-branched; pleiochasial bracts similar in shape but shorter and narrower than distal leaves; dichasial bracts distinct, rhombic to reniform, base obtuse, margins entire, apex obtuse, mucronate; axillary cymose branches 12–23. |
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2n | = 12, 14. |
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Euphorbia hyssopifolia |
Euphorbia agraria |
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Phenology | Flowering and fruiting late spring–early fall. | Flowering and fruiting spring–summer. |
Habitat | Disturbed areas, ditches, gardens. | Grasslands, roadside banks, pastures. |
Elevation | 0–1500 m. (0–4900 ft.) | 200–1600 m. (700–5200 ft.) |
Distribution |
AL; AZ; FL; GA; LA; MS; NM; SC; TX; UT; Mexico; Central America; South America; West Indies [Introduced in tropical Asia, Africa, Australia]
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KS; MT; NE; NY; PA; WA; WY; AB; SK; Europe [Introduced in North America]
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Discussion | Euphorbia hyssopifolia is native to the New World tropics and is probably also native to parts of the southern United States. However, at least some of the records from the flora area appear to be from adventive plants. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Source | FNA vol. 12, p. 272. | FNA vol. 12, p. 298. |
Parent taxa | Euphorbiaceae > Euphorbia > sect. Anisophyllum | Euphorbiaceae > Euphorbia > subg. Esula |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Chamaesyce hyssopifolia, E. jonesii, E. stenomeres | Tithymalus agrarius |
Name authority | Linnaeus: Syst. Nat. ed. 10, 2: 1048. (1759) | M. Bieberstein: Fl. Taur.-Caucas. 1: 375. (1808) |
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