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caper spurge, euphorbe épurge, gopher plant, gopher spurge, mole plant
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coastal sand spurge, maroon or purple sand spurge
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| Herbs, annual or biennial, with taproot. |
Herbs, perennial, with spreading rootstock. |
erect, unbranched or branched, 200 cm, glabrous, glaucous. |
erect or ascending, unbranched or branched, solitary, few, or occasionally densely clumped, previous year's dead stems not persistent, 20–33 cm, usually glabrous, rarely sparsely villous, glaucescent. |
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. |
alternate; stipules less than 0.1 mm; petiole (0–)1–3 mm, glabrous; blade linear or linear-elliptic to obovate or orbiculate, proximal greatly reduced, scalelike, 15–30 × 1–20 mm, base cuneate to rounded, margins entire, apex rounded, broadly acute, or emarginate, surfaces glabrous, glaucescent; venation often obscure on narrow leaves, midvein conspicuous. |
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. |
usually dark red, campanulate, 1.3–1.6 × 1.4–2.1 mm, glabrous; glands 5, usually dark red, rarely greenish red, elliptic reniform, thickened, 0.3–0.5 × 0.8 mm; appendages white or green, often forming narrow rim around distal margin of gland, 0–0.2 mm, entire. |
25–30. |
20–25. |
ovary glabrous; styles 0.7–2.2 mm, 2-fid. |
ovary glabrous; styles 0.4–0.8 mm, 2-fid at apex. |
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. |
depressed-globose, 1.8–2.5 × 3.6–4.4 mm, glabrous; columella 1.9–2.4 mm. |
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. |
ashy white, ovoid, 2.1 × 1.3 mm, angled with 5 blunt longitudinal ridges, with shallow and irregular pits; caruncle absent. |
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. |
|
peduncle 0–0.5 mm. |
usually in terminal dichasia, sometimes pleiochasia; peduncle 6–33 mm, filiform, glabrous. |
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|
|
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| Flowering and fruiting winter–fall. |
Flowering and fruiting spring–summer. |
| Roadsides, cultivated fields, stream banks, waste places. |
Xeric to dry pine-oak scrub of sand hills, pine-oak woodlands, pine-oak savannas. |
| 0–1800 m. (0–5900 ft.) |
0–150 m. (0–500 ft.) |
|
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]
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FL; GA; NC; SC; VA
|
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.) |
K. R. Park (1998) recognized both Euphorbia exserta and E. gracilior as distinct species, with the former known only from the holotype. However, this treatment follows M. J. Huft (1997) and treats E. gracilior as a synonym of E. exserta. Although the type of E. exserta is unusual in having greenish red (versus dark red) cyathia and glands, as well as small gland appendages, it is otherwise typical of the species as a whole, including features such as the upright habit, reddish coloration, scalelike proximal leaves, and filiform peduncles to 30 mm that are also common to plants formerly treated as E. gracilior. Euphorbia gracilis Elliott, which has sometimes been applied to E. exserta, is an illegitimate name (a later homonym of E. gracilis Loiseleur-Deslongchamps) and pertains here. The upright habit and usually dark red cyathia and glands distinguish Euphorbia exserta from the otherwise similar E. ipecacuanhae, while the glaucescent vegetative parts and smaller gland appendages readily separate E. exserta from the similar E. curtisii. Euphorbia exserta is found on the Gulf and Atlantic coastal plains. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
| FNA vol. 12, p. 304. |
FNA vol. 12, p. 246. |
| Euphorbiaceae > Euphorbia > subg. Esula |
Euphorbiaceae > Euphorbia > sect. Alectoroctonum |
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. 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. 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 |
| Galarhoeus lathyris, Tithymalus lathyris |
Tithymalopsis exserta, E. gracilior, T. gracilis |
| Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 457. (1753) — (as lathyrus) |
(Small) Coker: Pl. Life Hartsville, 88. (1912) |
| |
BC, 
CA, 
OR, 
WA
Flora NW, 
Go Botany, 
IL Wildflowers, 
MD Biodiversity, 
PNW Herbaria
WildflowerSearch
iNaturalist (observations)
USDA Plants Database
