Euphorbia parryi |
Euphorbia mercurialina |
|
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dune spurge, Parry's sandmat, Parry's spurge |
Mercury spurge |
|
Habit | Herbs, annual, with taproot. | Herbs, perennial, with thickened, spreading rootstock. |
Stems | usually prostrate, rarely ascending-erect, 5–70(–85) cm, glabrous. |
erect, unbranched or branched, solitary or few, previous year's dead stems not persistent, 20–33 cm, glabrous or villous to lanate. |
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. |
alternate; stipules 0.1–0.2 mm; petiole (1–)2.5–5(–6) mm, ciliate to lanate; blade elliptic to ovate-deltate, proximal greatly reduced, scalelike, 34–55 × 20–26 mm, base rounded or cuneate, margins entire, densely ciliate, apex rounded to acute, abaxial surface sparsely pilose to villous (to lanate on midrib), adaxial surface glabrous; venation obscure, only midvein conspicuous. |
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 or hemispheric, 1.5–2.5 × 2–3 mm, glabrous; glands 5, green, elliptic-reniform, 0.5 × 2 mm; appendages white, narrowly transversely-oblong to lunate, 0.6 × 2.5 mm, slightly erose. |
Staminate flowers | 40–55. |
10–15. |
Pistillate flowers | ovary glabrous; styles 0.5–0.7 mm, 2-fid nearly entire length. |
ovary glabrous; styles 0.7–1.5 mm, 2-fid at apex. |
Capsules | ovoid-globose, 2–2.3 × 1.5–2.5 mm, glabrous; columella 1.4–2 mm. |
depressed-globose, 2.3–3.3 × 4.4–5 mm, glabrous; columella 2.7–3 mm. |
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. |
tan to dark brown, ovoid, 2.2 × 1.6 mm, with shallow and coarse depressions; caruncle absent. |
Cyathia | solitary or in small clusters on short axillary branches at distal nodes; peduncle 1–5 mm. |
usually in terminal pleiochasia, rarely dichasia; peduncle 1.3–2.7 mm (to 40–70 mm for central cyathium), filiform, glabrous. |
Euphorbia parryi |
Euphorbia mercurialina |
|
Phenology | Flowering and fruiting spring–fall. | Flowering and fruiting spring. |
Habitat | Sand dunes, other sandy habitats. | Dry to mesic wooded slopes and ravines. |
Elevation | 200–2200 m. (700–7200 ft.) | 100–600 m. (300–2000 ft.) |
Distribution |
AZ; CA; CO; NM; NV; TX; UT; Mexico (Chihuahua)
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AL; GA; KY; NC; TN
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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.) |
Euphorbia mercurialina is restricted primarily to the Cumberland Plateau and southern Appalachians, with disjunct occurrences in south-central North Carolina in the lower Piedmont. The North Carolina plants are markedly hairier than plants elsewhere, with villous or lanate stems, petioles, and abaxial leaf midribs. Euphorbia mercurialina has been reported from Florida and Virginia in the past. The Virginia plants were apparently planted (A. S. Weakley 2010), and the Florida reports are most certainly in error. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 12, p. 281. | FNA vol. 12, p. 249. |
Parent taxa | Euphorbiaceae > Euphorbia > sect. Anisophyllum | Euphorbiaceae > Euphorbia > sect. Alectoroctonum |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Chamaesyce longeramosa, C. parryi, E. longeramosa | Tithymalopsis mercurialina |
Name authority | Engelmann: Amer. Naturalist 9: 350. (1875) | Michaux: Fl. Bor.-Amer. 2: 212. (1803) |
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