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

petty spurge

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

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

erect, unbranched or branched, 5–30 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 1–10 mm;

blade obovate, oblong, or suborbiculate, 5–25 × 4–15 mm, base attenuate or cuneate, margins entire, apex obtuse, 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.

cupulate to slightly turbinate, 0.6–1.1 × 0.7–0.9 mm, glabrous;

glands 4, elliptic, 0.2–0.3 × 0.5–0.6 mm;

horns slightly convergent to divergent, 0.4–0.6 mm.

Staminate flowers

25–30.

10–15.

Pistillate flowers

ovary glabrous;

styles 0.7–2.2 mm, 2-fid.

ovary glabrous;

styles 0.1–0.2 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.

subglobose, 1.3–2 × 1.5–2.2 mm, slightly 3-lobed;

cocci rounded, with 2 low longitudinal wings, smooth, glabrous;

columella 1.1–1.3 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.

whitish or grayish, subovoid, 1–1.6 × 0.6–1 mm, abaxial faces regularly large-pitted (appearing almost alveolate), adaxial faces longitudinally sulcate;

caruncle deciduous, conic, 0.2–0.5 × 0.2–0.7 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 3–5, usually 2–8 times 2-branched, 1st branching level rarely 3-furcate;

pleiochasial bracts similar in shape to and slightly larger than distal leaves;

dichasial bracts distinct, ovate to obovate, base obtuse, margins entire, apex obtuse, usually mucronate;

axillary cymose branches 0–3.

Cyathia

peduncle 0–0.5 mm.

peduncle 0.4–1.1 mm.

Euphorbia lathyris

Euphorbia peplus

Phenology Flowering and fruiting winter–fall. Flowering and fruiting year-round.
Habitat Roadsides, cultivated fields, stream banks, waste places. Edges of gardens, weedy flower beds, roadsides, waste places, open ground near forests.
Elevation 0–1800 m. (0–5900 ft.) 0–1500 m. (0–4900 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
AL; AZ; CA; CO; CT; DE; IA; ID; IL; IN; KY; LA; MA; MD; ME; MI; MT; NC; ND; NH; NJ; NM; NV; NY; OH; OR; PA; RI; TN; TX; UT; VA; VT; WA; WI; WV; AB; BC; MB; NB; NF; NS; ON; PE; QC; SK; Europe; w Asia [Introduced in North America; introduced also in Mexico, West Indies, Bermuda, Central America, South America, Africa, Atlantic Islands, Indian Ocean Islands, Pacific Islands, Australia]
[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.)

Source FNA vol. 12, p. 304. FNA vol. 12, p. 307.
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. 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. 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 Esula peplus, Galarhoeus peplus, Tithymalus peplus
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 457. (1753) — (as lathyrus) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 456. (1753)
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