Euphorbia pediculifera |
Euphorbia porteriana |
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Carrizo Mountain sandmat |
Porter's sandmat |
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Habit | Herbs, usually annual, sometimes perennial, with slender to occasionally thickened taproot, 5 mm diam.. | |
Stems | erect to ascending, sometimes slightly woody at base, not mat-forming, 15–60 cm, usually glabrous, young branches rarely very sparsely short pubescent. |
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Leaves | opposite; stipules usually distinct, occasionally connate basally, triangular, entire or 2–4 parted, apically ciliate, 0.3–0.4 mm, usually glabrous, rarely very sparsely short pubescent; petiole 0.5–1.5 mm, usually glabrous, rarely very sparsely short pubescent; blade ovate, oval, elliptic, oblong-elliptic, or linear-elliptic, 4–12 × 1–7 mm, base asymmetric, rounded or subcordate, margins usually entire, rarely sparsely serrate, apex obtuse to acute, sometimes mucronate, surfaces abaxially often purple or red, adaxially green, usually glabrous, rarely very sparsely short pubescent; 3-veined from base, only midvein conspicuous. |
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Involucre | turbinate to campanulate, 0.7–1 × 0.8–1 mm, usually glabrous, rarely very sparsely short pubescent; glands 4, brown, slightly concave, elliptic-oblong, 0.1–0.2 × 0.3–0.6 mm; appendages white or pink to dark red, usually oblong or flabellate, occasionally rudimentary and forming narrow rim at edge of gland, (0–)0.1–0.2 × 0.4–1 mm, distal margin entire or crenulate. |
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Staminate flowers | 8–14. |
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Pistillate flowers | ovary glabrous, subtended by triangular calyxlike structure; styles 0.4–0.6 mm, 2-fid 1/2 length. |
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Capsules | broadly ovoid, 1–1.5 × 1.7–2.1 mm, glabrous; columella 1–1.4 mm. |
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Seeds | reddish brown, ovoid, 4-angled in cross section, 0.7–1 × 0.6–0.7 mm, smooth or obscurely wrinkled. |
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Euphorbia | pediculifera can be variable in terms of leaf shape and the extent of pubescence, but the species is readily identified by the short, appressed hairs on the leaves and the distinctive seed that is encircled by a series of round, transverse ridges. |
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Cyathia | solitary at distal nodes; peduncle 0.5–1.1 mm. |
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Euphorbia pediculifera |
Euphorbia porteriana |
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Phenology | Flowering and fruiting year-round. | |
Habitat | Pine rocklands, coastal scrub, open hammocks. | |
Elevation | 0–10 m. (0–0 ft.) | |
Distribution |
AZ; CA; nw Mexico
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FL |
Discussion | Varieties 2 (1 in the flora). Euphorbia pediculifera var. linearifolia S. Watson is found only near Guaymas in southwestern Sonora, Mexico. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Euphorbia porteriana is found in Miami-Dade County and on Big Pine Key, Monroe County. This species is closely related to E. blodgettii, E. garberi, and E. serpens. The capsules of E. porteriana are almost always completely glabrous, but the authors have seen three specimens with just a few scattered hairs on the keels. A. Herndon (1993) synonymized E. porteriana var. keyensis under E. garberi because of its uniformly hairy capsules, and that treatment is followed here. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 12, p. 281. | FNA vol. 12, p. 285. |
Parent taxa | Euphorbiaceae > Euphorbia > sect. Anisophyllum | Euphorbiaceae > Euphorbia > sect. Anisophyllum |
Sibling taxa | ||
Subordinate taxa | ||
Synonyms | Chamaesyce pediculifera | Chamaesyce porteriana, C. porteriana var. scoparia, C. scoparia |
Name authority | Engelmann: in W. H. Emory, Rep. U.S. Mex. Bound. 2(1): 186. (1859) | (Small) Oudejans: Phytologia 67: 48. (1989) |
Web links |