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broad leaf glaucous spurge, donkey tail, myrtle or creeping or blue spurge, myrtle spurge

dwarf spurge, small spurge

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

erect or semiprostrate, unbranched or branched, 15–40 cm, succulent, glabrous.

erect, unbranched or branched, 3–30 cm, glabrous.

Leaves

petiole 0–2 mm;

blade obovate, obovate-oblong, lanceolate, orbiculate, or suborbiculate, 2–30 × 3–17 mm, fleshy, base truncate or attenuate, margins entire or finely denticulate, apex acute to obtuse, cuspidate or strongly mucronate, surfaces glabrous;

venation and midvein inconspicuous.

petiole 0–0.5 mm;

blade linear, linear-oblong, or linear-spatulate, 2–30 × 1–5 mm, base cuneate or truncate, margins entire, apex acute, obtuse, or emarginate, surfaces glabrous;

venation inconspicuous, only midvein prominent.

Involucre

campanulate, 2.4–2.6 × 2.3–2.5 mm, glabrous;

glands 4, trapezoidal, 1–1.5 × 1.5–2.5 mm;

horns divergent, thick, tips rounded, dilated, 0.5–0.9 mm.

cupulate, 0.3–0.5 × 0.6–0.8 mm, glabrous;

glands 4, elliptic to crescent-shaped, 0.2–0.4 × 0.3–0.6 mm;

horns divergent, 0.2–0.5 mm.

Staminate flowers

6–12.

5–8.

Pistillate flowers

ovary glabrous;

styles 2.5–2.8 mm, usually unbranched.

ovary glabrous;

styles 0.5–0.7 mm, 2-fid.

Capsules

subglobose, 5–7 × 5–6 mm, unlobed;

cocci rounded to subangular, smooth, glabrous;

columella 4.5–5 mm.

subglobose, 1–1.8 × 1.3–2 mm, slightly lobed;

cocci rounded, smooth, puncticulate toward abaxial line, glabrous;

columella 1.1–1.4 mm.

Seeds

brownish to grayish, oblong, 2.8–4.5 × 2–3.2 mm, vermiculate-rugose;

caruncle substipitate, trapezoidal or mushroom-shaped, 1.3–1.5 × 0.6–0.8 mm.

blackish to grayish, 4-angled-ovoid, 1–1.5 × 0.5–0.7 mm, white, tuberculate;

caruncle conic or subconic, 0.1–0.3 × 0.1–0.3 mm.

Cyathial

arrangement: terminal pleiochasial branches 2–12, each 1–2 times 2-branched;

pleiochasial bracts similar in shape and size to distal leaves;

dichasial bracts distinct, suborbiculate or reniform, base truncate, margins entire or minutely denticulate, apex obtuse, mucronulate;

axillary cymose branches 0–4.

arrangement: terminal pleiochasial branches 3–5, each 1–3 times 2-branched;

pleiochasial bracts similar in shape and size to or sometimes slightly longer and wider than distal leaves;

dichasial bracts distinct, linear, or linear-lanceolate, or lanceolate-ovate, base rounded to subcordate, margins entire, apex acute;

axillary cymose branches 0–5.

Cyathia

peduncle 0.5–1 mm.

peduncle 0–2 mm.

Euphorbia myrsinites

Euphorbia exigua

Phenology Flowering and fruiting spring–summer. Flowering and fruiting summer–fall.
Habitat Scrub oak communities, open ground near forests, shrub-steppes. Edges of gardens, roadsides, waste places.
Elevation 0–2400 m. (0–7900 ft.) 0–1500 m. (0–4900 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; CO; ID; MT; NM; OR; UT; WA; WY; BC; s Europe; w Asia [Introduced in North America]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; NY; WV; BC; NS; ON; Europe; w Asia; n Africa; Atlantic Islands (Macaronesia) [Introduced in North America]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Euphorbia myrsinites is cultivated in much of the flora area, where it can tolerate cold winters. In some areas, it can locally escape from cultivation.

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

Euphorbia exigua can be easily distinguished from other annual species of the genus in the flora area by its tuberculate seeds.

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

Source FNA vol. 12, p. 305. FNA vol. 12, p. 302.
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. 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. 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. 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 Tithymalus myrsinites Tithymalus exiguus
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 461. (1753) Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 456. (1753)
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