Euphorbia ocellata |
Euphorbia ophthalmica |
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Contura Creek sandmat, Contura Creek spurge, valley spurge |
Florida hammock sandmat |
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Habit | Herbs, annual, with taproot. | Herbs, usually annual, rarely short-lived perennial, with slender to slightly thickened taproot. | ||||
Stems | prostrate, 10–35 cm, glabrous or pilose. |
usually prostrate, rarely ascending, 6–22 cm, usually both strigillose and hirsute. |
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Leaves | opposite; stipules distinct, subulate, 0.5–1.6 mm, glabrous or pilose; petiole 0.3–2 mm, glabrous or pilose; blade ovate to deltate or falcate, 2.3–13 × 1.5–6 mm, base asymmetric, usually cordate, rarely rounded, margins occasionally reddish, entire, often revolute, apex acute to obtuse, occasionally mucronate, surfaces glabrous or pilose; midvein conspicuous, lateral veins frequently visible abaxially. |
opposite; stipules distinct, subulate-filiform, undivided or divided into 2–4 narrowly triangular to linear-subulate segments, no dark, circular glands at base of stipules, 0.9–1.5 mm, pilose or strigillose; petiole 0.3–1.2 mm, glabrescent, strigillose, or sericeous; blade usually ovate or oblong, rarely subrhombic, 4–13 × 3–7 mm, base asymmetric, one side usually angled and other side rounded, margins coarsely serrulate, apex acute, surfaces often with red spot in center, strigillose or sericeous, or adaxial surface glabrescent; 3-veined from base. |
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Involucre | campanulate, 1–2.5 × 1.3–2.4 mm, glabrous or pilose; glands 4, yellow becoming deep red, elliptic or oblong to orbiculate, 0.4–0.6 × 0.5–0.7 mm; appendages absent or whitish, orbiculate, 0.1–0.2 × 0.3–0.5 mm, distal margin entire. |
obconic, 0.5–0.7 × 0.4–0.6 mm, strigillose; glands 4, yellow green to pink, circular to slightly oblong, 0.1–0.2 × 0.1–0.2 mm; appendages absent or white to pink, forming thin rim around edge of gland or oblong, 0.1–0.2 × 0.1–0.3 mm, distal margin entire or shallowly lobed. |
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Staminate flowers | 30–70. |
2–8. |
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Pistillate flowers | ovary glabrous or pilose; styles 0.4–0.5 mm, 2-fid at apex. |
ovary strigillose, often canescent when young; styles 0.1–0.3 mm, 2-fid 1/2 to nearly entire length. |
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Capsules | subglobose to broadly ovoid, 1.4–2.7 × 1.9–3.1 mm, glabrous or pilose; columella 1.4–2 mm. |
ovoid, 1–1.2 × 1–1.3 mm, strigillose; columella 0.7–1.1 mm. |
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Seeds | whitish gray to black, ovoid to oblong, terete to bluntly subangled in cross section, 1.1–1.7 × 0.8–1.3 mm, rugose or smooth. |
orange-brown to pinkish, narrowly ovoid, 4-angled in cross section, 0.7–0.9(–1.1) × 0.5 mm, usually rugulose, with 3–6 faint, low, transverse ridges, rarely almost smooth. |
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Cyathia | solitary at distal nodes; peduncle 0.9–2.2 mm. |
in dense, terminal, capitate glomerules, with reduced, bractlike leaves subtending cyathia; peduncles 0–0.8 mm. |
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Euphorbia ocellata |
Euphorbia ophthalmica |
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Phenology | Flowering and fruiting year-round. | |||||
Habitat | Hammock forests, disturbed areas in lawns, roadsides. | |||||
Elevation | 0–200 m. (0–700 ft.) | |||||
Distribution |
AZ; CA; ID; NV; UT
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AR; CA; FL; GA; LA; MO; PA; Mexico; Central America; South America; West Indies [Introduced in Europe] |
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Discussion | Subspecies 2 (2 in the flora). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Euphorbia ophthalmica is a weedy species distributed throughout the Neotropics. It is also adventive in the Old World. Whether it is indeed native to the southeastern United States is questionable; it is introduced in Arkansas, California, Missouri, and Pennsylvania and likely occurs also in other states. Although sometimes treated as E. hirta var. procumbens, E. ophthalmica appears sufficiently distinct to justify recognition at the rank of species, differing primarily by its mostly prostrate growth form, smaller leaves, and strictly terminal clusters of cyathia. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Key |
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Source | FNA vol. 12, p. 279. | FNA vol. 12, p. 280. | ||||
Parent taxa | Euphorbiaceae > Euphorbia > sect. Anisophyllum | Euphorbiaceae > Euphorbia > sect. Anisophyllum | ||||
Sibling taxa | ||||||
Subordinate taxa | ||||||
Synonyms | Chamaesyce ocellata | Chamaesyce ophthalmica, E. hirta var. procumbens, E. pilulifera var. procumbens | ||||
Name authority | Durand & Hilgard: Pl. Heermann., 46. (1854) | Persoon: Syn. Pl. 2: 13. (1806) | ||||
Web links |