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caper spurge, euphorbe épurge, gopher plant, gopher spurge, mole plant

Chinese caps, western wood spurge

Habit Herbs, annual or biennial, with taproot. Herbs, usually biennial, occasionally annual, with taproot.
Stems

erect, unbranched or branched, 200 cm, glabrous, glaucous.

erect, sometimes decumbent at base, unbranched or branched, 12–40 cm, glabrous.

Leaves

opposite, decussate;

petiole absent;

blade linear to oblong-lanceolate, 30–120 × 3–25 mm, base acute, rounded, cordate or clasping, margins entire, apex acute or subobtuse, sometimes mucronate, surfaces glabrous, abaxial ± glaucous;

venation pinnate, midvein prominent.

petiole 0–2 mm;

blade obovate-spatulate to oblanceolate, 8–22 × 3–10 mm, base broadly attenuate, margins entire or slightly crisped, apex obtuse to ± rounded, minutely apiculate, surfaces glabrous;

venation pinnate, midvein prominent.

Involucre

campanulate, 1.2–2.3 × 1.4–2.5 mm, glabrous;

glands 4, elliptic, 0.3–0.6 × 1–1.3 mm;

horns divergent, thick, tips rounded, dilated, 0.5–1.4 mm.

campanulate, 1.8–2.1 × 1.6–1.8 mm, glabrous;

glands 4, crescent-shaped, 0.6–1.2 × 1.5–2.3 mm;

horns slightly divergent to slightly convergent, 0.4–0.6 mm.

Staminate flowers

25–30.

11–18.

Pistillate flowers

ovary glabrous;

styles 0.7–2.2 mm, 2-fid.

ovary glabrous;

styles 0.9–1.4 mm, 2-fid.

Capsules

depressed-globose, 9–12 × 12–16 mm, deeply 3-lobed, tardily dehiscent and appearing indehiscent, mesocarp spongy;

cocci rounded, smooth, glabrous;

columella 4–5.2 mm.

subovoid, 2.5–3 × 3.5–4 mm, 3-lobed;

cocci rounded, smooth or puncticulate, glabrous;

columella 1.9–2.3 mm.

Seeds

brownish or blackish, oblong, 4.5–6 × 3–4.2 mm, rugose, irregularly reticulate;

caruncle substipitate, hat-shaped, 1.6–2 × 1.2–1.5 mm.

cream and brown mottled, oblong-ovoid to nearly globose, 2–2.5 × 1.4–1.7 mm, usually irregularly vermiculate-ridged and large-pitted, occasionally tuberculate or nearly smooth;

caruncle reniform, conic, 0.5–0.6 × 0.5–0.7 mm.

Cyathial

arrangement: terminal pleiochasial branches 2–4, each 1–2 times 2-branched;

pleiochasial bracts cordate-lanceolate, shorter and wider than distal leaves;

dichasial bracts distinct, ovate-oblong to lanceolate, base subcordate, margins entire, apex acute;

axillary cymose branches 0–10.

arrangement: terminal pleiochasial branches 3, each 2-branched;

pleiochasial bracts obovate to orbiculate-reniform, wider than distal leaves;

dichasial bracts usually connate 1/3–1/2 length (often only on one side), rarely only connate basally, triangular ovate to reniform, base truncate to perfoliate, margins erose-denticulate to subentire, apex rounded to obtuse, rarely apiculate;

axillary cymose branches 0–5.

Cyathia

peduncle 0–0.5 mm.

peduncle 0–0.5 mm.

Euphorbia lathyris

Euphorbia crenulata

Phenology Flowering and fruiting winter–fall. Flowering and fruiting spring–summer.
Habitat Roadsides, cultivated fields, stream banks, waste places. Conifer, oak, and mixed forests, coastal scrub, grasslands, barrens and outcrops, roadsides.
Elevation 0–1800 m. (0–5900 ft.) 30–1800 m. (100–5900 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CA; CT; ID; IL; MA; MD; MT; NC; OH; OR; PA; SC; TN; TX; VA; WA; WV; BC; ON; QC; Europe; Asia; Africa [Introduced in North America; introduced also in Mexico, South America, Australia]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; CO; NM; OR
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Euphorbia lathyris is most likely native to the central and eastern Mediterranean region, but it is widely cultivated and often locally escaped in temperate regions worldwide, as in the flora area.

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

Euphorbia crenulata is most common in the central valleys of California and southern Oregon; it occurs disjunctly in southwestern Colorado and northwestern New Mexico. Previous reports from Arizona are based on misidentified specimens. Euphorbia crenulata is closely related to E. commutata.

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

Source FNA vol. 12, p. 304. FNA vol. 12, p. 301.
Parent taxa Euphorbiaceae > Euphorbia > subg. Esula Euphorbiaceae > Euphorbia > subg. Esula
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. hypericifolia, E. hyssopifolia, E. indivisa, E. innocua, E. inundata, E. ipecacuanhae, E. jaegeri, E. jejuna, E. laredana, E. lasiocarpa, E. lata, 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. 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 Galarhoeus lathyris, Tithymalus lathyris Tithymalus crenulatus
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 457. (1753) — (as lathyrus) Engelmann: in W. H. Emory, Rep. U.S. Mex. Bound. 2(1): 192. (1859)
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