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Florida hammock sandmat

Abrams' sandmat, Abrams' spurge

Habit Herbs, usually annual, rarely short-lived perennial, with slender to slightly thickened taproot. Herbs, annual, with slender taproot.
Stems

usually prostrate, rarely ascending, 6–22 cm, usually both strigillose and hirsute.

prostrate, mat-forming, 10–35(–50) cm, shortly pilose or puberulent at least proximally, often glabrous distally.

Leaves

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.

opposite;

stipules distinct, divided into 5–7 subulate-filiform segments, 0.6–1.1 mm, usually glabrous, rarely pilose;

petiole 0.5–1 mm, glabrous;

blade ovate, elliptic-oblong, or slightly ovate-cordate, 3–11 × 2–5 mm, base asymmetric, truncate to hemicordate, margins serrulate at least toward apex, often entire toward base, apex acute to obtuse, surfaces sometimes with red spot in center, glabrous; usually only the midvein conspicuous.

Involucre

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.

obconic, 0.5–0.6 × 0.4–0.5 mm, glabrous;

glands 4, yellowish to pink, circular to oblong, 0.1 × 0.1–0.2 mm;

appendages absent, or white to pink, semicircular to broadly ovate, to 0.1 × 0.2 mm, distal margin entire or shallowly lobed.

Staminate flowers

2–8.

3–5.

Pistillate flowers

ovary strigillose, often canescent when young;

styles 0.1–0.3 mm, 2-fid 1/2 to nearly entire length.

ovary glabrous;

styles 0.1–0.3 mm, 2-fid nearly entire length.

Capsules

ovoid, 1–1.2 × 1–1.3 mm, strigillose;

columella 0.7–1.1 mm.

ellipsoid to ovoid, 1.3–1.5 × 1.1–1.5 mm, glabrous;

columella 1–1.3 mm.

Seeds

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.

light gray to light brown, narrowly ovoid to ovoid, 4-angled in cross section, 1–1.2 × 0.6–0.7 mm, with 3–5 prominent transverse ridges that often interrupt abaxial keel.

Cyathia

in dense, terminal, capitate glomerules, with reduced, bractlike leaves subtending cyathia;

peduncles 0–0.8 mm.

solitary at distal nodes of primary stems or at nodes of short congested axillary branchlets;

peduncle 0.2–0.5 mm.

Euphorbia ophthalmica

Euphorbia abramsiana

Phenology Flowering and fruiting year-round. Flowering and fruiting summer–fall.
Habitat Hammock forests, disturbed areas in lawns, roadsides. Desert scrub and desert grasslands.
Elevation 0–200 m. (0–700 ft.) -40–1400 m. (-100–4600 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AR; CA; FL; GA; LA; MO; PA; Mexico; Central America; South America; West Indies [Introduced in Europe]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CA; NM; TX; Mexico (Baja California, Baja California Sur, Sonora)
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

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.)

Source FNA vol. 12, p. 280. FNA vol. 12, p. 259.
Parent taxa Euphorbiaceae > Euphorbia > sect. Anisophyllum 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. 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. 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. 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. trachysperma, E. trichotoma, E. vallis-mortae, E. velleriflora, E. vermiculata, E. villifera, E. virgata, E. wrightii, E. yaquiana
Synonyms Chamaesyce ophthalmica, E. hirta var. procumbens, E. pilulifera var. procumbens Chamaesyce abramsiana
Name authority Persoon: Syn. Pl. 2: 13. (1806) L. C. Wheeler: Bull. S. Calif. Acad. Sci. 33: 109. (1934)
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