Flora of North America species comparison

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Euphorbia marginata

Euphorbia trachysperma

euphorbe marginée, mountain snow spurge, smoke-on-the-prairie, snow-on-the-mountain, variegated spurge, whitemargined spurge

San Pedro River sandmat
Habit Herbs, annual, with taproot. Herbs, annual, with slender taproot.
Stems

erect, unbranched or branched, 30–85(–150) cm, pilose or glabrous.

erect to ascending, 10–55 cm, glabrous.
Leaves

alternate;

stipules 0.1–0.3 mm;

petiole 0.2–3 mm, glabrous or minutely pilose;

blade broadly ovate to elliptic, 32–62(–82) × 18–28(–52) mm, base rounded to cuneate, margins entire, often white on distal leaves, apex acute, rarely mucronate, surfaces glabrous;

venation obscure, only midvein conspicuous.

opposite;

stipules distinct, narrowly triangular and often divided into 3–5 subulate to filiform segments, 0.8–1.9 mm, glabrous;

petiole 1.2–3.1 mm, glabrous;

blade oblong, elliptic, or ovate, 12–43 × 3–14 mm, base subsymmetric to asymmetric, rounded, attenuate, or with one side hemicordate and other side rounded, margins usually serrulate, rarely entire on some leaves or portion of blade, apex obtuse to acute, surfaces often with red blotch in center, glabrous; pinnately veined, often only midvein conspicuous.
Involucre

campanulate, 2.2–3.5 × 1.3–2.3 mm, margin between glands deeply divided into fringe of fimbriate lobes, pilose;

glands 4–5, green to greenish yellow, reniform to subcircular, 0.7–1.1 × 1–1.6 mm;

appendages white, orbiculate, 1.5–2.7 × 1.9–2.9(–3.6) mm, entire.

oblong, campanulate, or funnel-shaped, 1.5–2.6 × 1.1–2.3 mm, glabrous;

glands 4, green to yellowish or tinged with red, subcircular to oblong, 0.4–0.7 × 0.5–1 mm;

appendages absent or white, often forming narrow rim or oblong to ovate, 0–0.8 × 1.2 mm, distal margin entire.
Staminate flowers

30–70.

50–60.
Pistillate flowers

ovary pilose;

styles 1–2.5 mm, 2-fid 1/2–2/3 length.

ovary glabrous;

styles 0.5–0.6 mm, 2-fid 1/2 length.
Capsules

oblate, 3–5 × 3.5–7.5 mm, moderately to densely pilose;

columella 3–4.1 mm.

oblate, 2.4–3.2 × 3–3.5 mm, glabrous;

columella 2.3–2.5 mm.
Seeds

orange-tan to gray, ovoid, 3.7–3.9 × 3–3.3 mm, rugose, with 2 transverse ridges (one dark orange to brown, other inconspicuous);

caruncle absent.

light brown, ovoid, 4-angled in cross section, abaxial keel well developed, 1.9–2.3 × 1.3–1.4 mm, finely dimpled and papillate.
Cyathia

in terminal pleiochasia, dichasial bracts narrowly elliptic to oblanceolate with conspicuous white margins;

peduncle 1.8–2.7(–22) mm, densely pilose.

solitary at distal nodes;

peduncle 1.4–2.4 mm.
2n

= 56.

Euphorbia marginata

Euphorbia trachysperma
Phenology Flowering and fruiting summer–fall. Flowering and fruiting late summer–early winter.
Habitat Disturbed areas and grasslands. Desert scrub, desert grasslands, mesquite woodlands.
Elevation 0–1700 m. (0–5600 ft.) 200–1200 m. (700–3900 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AR; CA; CO; CT; IA; IL; IN; KS; LA; MA; MD; MI; MN; MO; MT; NC; NE; NH; NM; NY; OH; OK; PA; RI; SC; SD; TN; TX; UT; VA; WI; WV; WY; MB; ON; QC; SK; c Mexico; s Mexico
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; Mexico (Baja California Sur, Sonora)
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Euphorbia marginata is native to the central United States. The type specimen was collected by Meriwether Lewis along the Yellowstone River in southern Montana in 1806, and it has been reported to be native as far south as Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas, and as far east as southern Minnesota, western Iowa, and Missouri (G. Yatskievych 1999–2013, vol. 2). It is presumably naturalized outside of this area. Euphorbia marginata is widely cultivated as an ornamental for its showy, white-margined distal leaves, and it can escape locally.

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

Euphorbia trachysperma may be expected in extreme southwestern New Mexico given the close proximity of some collections in southeastern Arizona.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Source FNA vol. 12, p. 248. FNA vol. 12, p. 291.
Parent taxa Euphorbiaceae > Euphorbia > sect. Alectoroctonum Euphorbiaceae > Euphorbia > sect. Anisophyllum
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. lathyris, E. longicruris, E. lurida, E. macropus, E. maculata, 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. 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. trichotoma, E. vallis-mortae, E. velleriflora, E. vermiculata, E. villifera, E. virgata, E. wrightii, E. yaquiana
Synonyms E. bonplandii, Lepadena marginata Chamaesyce trachysperma
Name authority Pursh: Fl. Amer. Sept. 2: 607. (1813) Engelmann: in W. H. Emory, Rep. U.S. Mex. Bound. 2(1): 189. (1859)
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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