Euphorbia parryi |
Euphorbia chaetocalyx |
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dune spurge, Parry's sandmat, Parry's spurge |
bristlecup sandmat |
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Habit | Herbs, annual, with taproot. | Herbs, perennial, with woody, thickened taproot. | ||||
Stems | usually prostrate, rarely ascending-erect, 5–70(–85) cm, glabrous. |
usually erect, rarely slightly decumbent, often densely clustered from top of woody crown, 3–15 cm, glabrous. |
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Leaves | opposite; stipules distinct, linear-subulate, usually lacerate and divided into 2 or more slender segments, rarely entire, 0.6–1.4 mm, glabrous; petiole 1–2.5 mm, glabrous; blade linear to narrowly oblong, (5–)10–25(–30) × 2–5 mm, base usually symmetric, sometimes slightly asymmetric, attenuate, margins entire, occasionally ± revolute, apex acute to obtuse, mucronulate, surfaces glabrous; only midvein conspicuous. |
opposite; stipules distinct, narrowly linear, usually entire, 0.5–1 mm, glabrous; petiole 0.5–1 mm, glabrous; blade ovate to lanceolate or oblong- or linear-lanceolate, 3–11 × 0.8–3(–5) mm, base slightly asymmetric, short-tapered, occasionally one side slightly rounded, margins entire, apex acute or short-acuminate, surfaces glabrous; only midvein conspicuous. |
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Involucre | broadly cupuliform-campanulate, 1.2–1.7 × 1.4–1.8 mm, glabrous; glands 4, reddish pink to greenish yellow, deeply concave, elliptic to oblong, 0.2–0.3 × 0.3–0.5 mm; appendages white, elliptic to oblong, usually forming narrow margin around gland, sometimes rudimentary, 0.2–0.6 × 0.3–0.7(–1.1) mm, distal margin entire. |
campanulate to turbinate, 0.8–1.4 × 0.8–1 mm, glabrous; glands 4, yellow-brown to reddish, concave or convex, elliptic or oval, 0.2–0.4 × 0.4–0.6 mm; appendages absent or white, lanceolate-deltate to straplike, 0.2–1.1 × 0.2–0.9 mm, distal margin entire, crenate, or deeply cleft or divided. |
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Staminate flowers | 40–55. |
25–35. |
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Pistillate flowers | ovary glabrous; styles 0.5–0.7 mm, 2-fid nearly entire length. |
ovary glabrous; styles 0.3–0.4 mm, 2-fid 1/2 length. |
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Capsules | ovoid-globose, 2–2.3 × 1.5–2.5 mm, glabrous; columella 1.4–2 mm. |
depressed-ovoid to depressed-globose, 1.7–2.1 × 1.6–2.4 mm, glabrous; columella 1.2–1.8 mm. |
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Seeds | mottled brown and white because of irregularly loose and tight outer covering, broadly ovoid, rounded-angular in cross section, 1.4–1.8 × 0.8–1 mm, smooth or only inconspicuously roughened. |
white, ovoid-pyramidal, prominently 4-angled in cross section, 1.6–2 × 1–1.2 mm, smooth to slightly wrinkled. |
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Cyathia | solitary or in small clusters on short axillary branches at distal nodes; peduncle 1–5 mm. |
solitary at distal nodes; peduncle 0.8–1.3 mm. |
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Euphorbia parryi |
Euphorbia chaetocalyx |
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Phenology | Flowering and fruiting spring–fall. | |||||
Habitat | Sand dunes, other sandy habitats. | |||||
Elevation | 200–2200 m. (700–7200 ft.) | |||||
Distribution |
AZ; CA; CO; NM; NV; TX; UT; Mexico (Chihuahua)
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AZ; NM; TX; n Mexico
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Discussion | Euphorbia parryi is similar to E. missurica, differing only by the generally narrow involucral gland appendages and prostrate habit in E. parryi as opposed to the conspicuous involucral gland appendages and ascending-erect habit in E. missurica. Euphorbia parryi has sometimes been considered the western race of E. missurica (D. S. Correll and M. C. Johnston 1970). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Varieties 2 (2 in the flora). Euphorbia chaetocalyx is similar to E. fendleri but can generally be distinguished from that species by its narrow, acute leaves and ± erect stems. Some authors have used the presence or absence and shape of the involucral gland appendages to help separate E. chaetocalyx from E. fendleri, but those characters appear highly variable and of little taxonomic utility. Some individuals from western Texas (Culberson and El Paso counties) and southern New Mexico appear intermediate with E. fendleri. The specific epithet of E. chaetocalyx refers to the bristly perianthlike segments that subtend the ovary, but these structures are found intermittently in both E. chaetocalyx and E. fendleri. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Key |
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Source | FNA vol. 12, p. 281. | FNA vol. 12, p. 263. | ||||
Parent taxa | Euphorbiaceae > Euphorbia > sect. Anisophyllum | Euphorbiaceae > Euphorbia > sect. Anisophyllum | ||||
Sibling taxa | ||||||
Subordinate taxa | ||||||
Synonyms | Chamaesyce longeramosa, C. parryi, E. longeramosa | E. fendleri var. chaetocalyx, Chamaesyce chaetocalyx | ||||
Name authority | Engelmann: Amer. Naturalist 9: 350. (1875) | (Boissier) Tidestrom: Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. 48: 40. (1935) | ||||
Web links |