The green links below add additional plants to the comparison table. Blue links lead to other Web sites.
enable glossary links

broad leaf glaucous spurge, donkey tail, myrtle or creeping or blue spurge, myrtle 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-ascending, often basally decumbent, often branched near base, 12–28 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 0–3 mm;

blade broadly oblanceolate to subspatulate, or proximalmost often orbiculate, 3–20 × 3–9 mm, base attenuate, margins entire, apex rounded to emarginate, surfaces glabrous;

venation pinnate, 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.

infundibular, 1.3–1.6 × 1–1.2 mm, glabrous;

glands 4, crescent-shaped; 0.4–0.5 × 0.8–1 mm;

horns divergent, 0.2–0.4 mm.

Staminate flowers

6–12.

15–20.

Pistillate flowers

ovary glabrous;

styles 2.5–2.8 mm, usually unbranched.

ovary glabrous;

styles 0.8 mm, 2-fid.

Capsules

subglobose, 5–7 × 5–6 mm, unlobed;

cocci rounded to subangular, smooth, glabrous;

columella 4.5–5 mm.

ovoid-globose, 2.6–2.7 × 2.5–2.7 mm, slightly lobed;

cocci rounded to ± flattened, smooth, glabrous;

columella 2–2.1 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.

dark brown, oblong-ovoid, 1.5–2 × 1–1.6 mm, with deep, rounded pits in 3–4 regular vertical rows;

caruncle reniform-ovate, conic, 0.5–0.7 × 0.5–0.8 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, 1–3 times 2-branched;

pleiochasial bracts ovate-deltate to subrhombic-ovate, shorter and wider than distal leaves;

dichasial bracts connate 1/4 length, not imbricate, broadly deltate to subreniform, base truncate to broadly obtuse, margins entire, apex obtuse to bluntly acuminate;

axillary cymose branches 1–5.

Cyathia

peduncle 0.5–1 mm.

peduncle 0.4–0.7 mm.

2n

= 26.

Euphorbia myrsinites

Euphorbia ouachitana

Phenology Flowering and fruiting spring–summer. Flowering and fruiting spring.
Habitat Scrub oak communities, open ground near forests, shrub-steppes. Semiopen forests, bluffs and ledges, stream banks, glades.
Elevation 0–2400 m. (0–7900 ft.) 100–400 m. (300–1300 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
AR; MO; OK; TN; TX
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 ouachitana is restricted to semiopen forests and woodlands in the south-central United States. It is similar to E. commutata and has been most commonly identified as that species in the past. However, it differs in its consistently brown seeds that have pits in regular, vertical rows. The two species also differ in E. commutata’s numerous, proximal, long-petiolate elliptic leaves. The proximal leaves of E. ouachitana are spatulate with an orbiculate blade and petiolelike base. Aside from the restricted distribution of E. ouachitana in Missouri and Tennessee, the ranges of E. ouachitana and E. commutata do not overlap (see M. H. Mayfield 2013 for a detailed discussion of the distribution). Euphorbia ouachitana is most common in the Ouachita Mountains from southeastern Oklahoma to Hot Springs County, Arkansas.

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

Source FNA vol. 12, p. 305. FNA vol. 12, p. 306.
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. 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. 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
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 461. (1753) Mayfield: J. Bot. Res. Inst. Texas 7: 642, figs. 2[row 2, right], 6. (2013)
Web links