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

Balkan spurge, egg-leaf spurge, oblong spurge

Curtis' spurge, Sandhills spurge

Habit Herbs, perennial, with woody taproot. Herbs, perennial, with spreading rootstock.
Stems

erect, unbranched or densely branching, 80 cm, often densely villous (especially young stems and pleiochasial branches).

erect or ascending, branched, solitary or few, previous year's dead stems not persistent, 20–40 cm, usually glabrous, rarely strigose to sericeous at nodes.

Leaves

petiole absent;

blade oblong to narrowly obovate or lanceolate, 15–70 × 6–25 mm, base rounded or truncate, margins finely serrulate, apex obtuse, mucronulate, surfaces glabrous;

venation inconspicuously pinnate, midvein prominent.

alternate;

stipules to 0.1 mm;

petiole to (0–)1–2 mm, glabrous or strigose to sericeous;

blade usually linear, occasionally elliptic, rarely ovate, proximal often greatly reduced and often scalelike, 10–30 × 1.5–6 mm, base cuneate, margins entire, occasionally sparsely ciliate, apex rounded or broadly acute, abaxial surface glabrous or sparsely strigose to sericeous, adaxial surface glabrous;

venation obscure, only midvein conspicuous.

Involucre

cupulate to slightly turbinate, 1.5–2.5 × 1.3–1.5 mm, glabrous;

glands 2–3, elliptic, 0.6–0.8 × 0.8–1.2 mm;

horns absent.

campanulate, 1–1.2 × 1.3–1.5(–1.7) mm, glabrous or strigose to sericeous on distal 1/2;

glands 5, green, reniform, 0.3 × 0.6 mm;

appendages white, semicircular, 0.3–0.4 × 0.6–0.8 mm, entire.

Staminate flowers

15–40.

20–25.

Pistillate flowers

ovary glabrous;

styles 1.5–2 mm, 2-fid.

ovary glabrous or sparsely strigose to sericeous;

styles 0.6–1.1 mm, 2-fid at apex to 1/2 length.

Capsules

globose, 3–4.5 × 3–4.5 mm, slightly 3-lobed;

cocci rounded, verrucose-tuberculate, glabrous;

columella 2.5–3.3 mm.

globose, 2.5–3.2 × 4.3–5.1 mm, glabrous or sparsely strigose to sericeous;

columella 2.4–3.1 mm.

Seeds

brown, ovoid, 2.4–2.6 × 1.3–2 mm, smooth, caruncle reniform, 0.2–0.3 × 0.8–0.9 mm.

usually gray to black, occasionally brown, ovoid-globose, 2.2 × 1.8 mm, smooth;

caruncle absent.

Cyathial

arrangement: terminal pleiochasial branches 3–5, each 2–3 times 2–4-branched;

pleiochasial bracts ovate, similar in size to distal leaves;

dichasial bracts distinct, ovate to suborbiculate, base truncate or rounded, margins entire or finely denticulate, apex obtuse, sometimes mucronulate;

axillary cymose branches 0–4.

Cyathia

peduncle 1–5 mm.

in terminal pleiochasia (fertile axillary branches occasionally present);

peduncle 6.5–17 mm, filiform, glabrous.

Euphorbia oblongata

Euphorbia curtisii

Phenology Flowering and fruiting spring–fall. Flowering and fruiting early spring–summer.
Habitat Waste areas, disturbed sites, roadsides, fields, pastures. Xeric to dry oak or oak-pine scrub of sand hills, pine-oak woodlands, pine-oak savannas.
Elevation 30–900 m. (100–3000 ft.) 0–200 m. (0–700 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
CA; OR; WA; s Europe [Introduced in North America]
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
FL; GA; NC; SC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Euphorbia oblongata is listed as a noxious weed by the states of California, Oregon, and Washington.

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

Euphorbia curtisii is found in the Gulf and Atlantic coastal plains.

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

Source FNA vol. 12, p. 305. FNA vol. 12, p. 245.
Parent taxa Euphorbiaceae > Euphorbia > subg. Esula Euphorbiaceae > Euphorbia > sect. Alectoroctonum
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. myrsinites, E. nephradenia, E. nutans, 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. 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. trachysperma, E. trichotoma, E. vallis-mortae, E. velleriflora, E. vermiculata, E. villifera, E. virgata, E. wrightii, E. yaquiana
Synonyms Tithymalus oblongatus E. eriogonoides, Tithymalopsis curtisii, T. eriogonoides
Name authority Grisebach: Spic. Fl. Rumel. 1: 136. (1843) Engelmann ex Chapman: Fl. South. U.S., 401. (1860)
Web links