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lesser Florida spurge

alkali spurge, Pecos spurge

Habit Herbs, perennial, with spreading rootstock. Herbs, perennial, with woody or fibrous-fleshy taproot, 5–12 mm thick.
Stems

erect or ascending, branched, solitary, few, or occasionally densely clumped, previous year's dead stems not persistent, 18–33 cm, glabrous.

decumbent, ascending, or erect, few to many emerging from woody crown, 5–25(–50) cm, glabrous.

Leaves

alternate;

stipules to 0.1 mm;

petiole minute or absent;

blade linear to filiform, 10–20 × 0.8–1.5(–4) mm, base cuneate, margins entire, often involute, apex rounded, surfaces glabrous;

venation usually obscure, midvein visible at base of wider leaves.

opposite;

stipules connate into deltate scale, 0.2–0.5 mm, minutely lacerate at apex, glabrous;

petiole 0–0.2(–0.3) mm, glabrous;

blade orbiculate-reniform to acute-cordate, 2–5(–8) × 2–5(–6) mm, base ± asymmetric, cordate to auriculate, sometimes clasping stem, margins entire, apex narrowly acute, surfaces glabrous; 2- or 3-veined from base, but usually only midvein conspicuous.

Involucre

campanulate, 1.2–2 × 1.3–1.8 mm, glabrous or strigose on distal extreme;

glands 5, red, elliptic, 0.5 × 1 mm;

appendages white, orbiculate, 0.5–0.8 × 1.3–1.5 mm, erose.

broadly campanulate, 0.8–1.4 × 0.9–1.4 mm, glabrous;

glands 4, yellow-green to brownish, oblong, 0.2–0.3 × 0.5–0.7 mm;

appendages white, flabellate to oblong, 0.1–0.2(–0.5) × 0.4–0.8 mm, distal margin entire or dentate-crenate.

Staminate flowers

20–25.

22–26.

Pistillate flowers

ovary glabrous;

styles 0.6–1 mm, 2-fid at apex.

ovary glabrous;

styles 0.3–0.4 mm, unbranched, thickened-clavate.

Capsules

globose, 2.3–2.8 × 4.3–5.1 mm, glabrous;

columella 2.5–3.2 mm.

ovoid and broadly triangular, 1.5–1.9(–2.5) × 1.4–1.6(–2.2) mm, glabrous;

columella 1.2–1.8 mm.

Seeds

ashy gray, ovoid, 2.9 × 2 mm, with obscure shallow depressions;

caruncle absent.

white, oblong, 4-angled in cross section, adaxial faces slightly concave, with long raphe between, 1.5–1.8 × 0.7–1 mm, markedly foveolate, with irregular to ± parallel or anastomosing ridges.

Cyathia

in terminal dichasia or pleiochasia;

peduncle 2–6 mm (to 20 mm for central cyathium), glabrous.

solitary at distal nodes;

peduncle 0.3–1(–1.5) mm.

2n

= 28.

Euphorbia polyphylla

Euphorbia astyla

Phenology Flowering and fruiting late spring–late fall. Flowering and fruiting late spring–early fall.
Habitat Open sand and pine savannas. Desert, grasslands, limestone substrates, usually on very saline or alkaline soils.
Elevation 0–10 m. (0–0 ft.) 700–1100 m. (2300–3600 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
FL
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
TX; Mexico (Coahuila, Nuevo León)
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Euphorbia polyphylla is endemic to sandy habitats in the southern half of peninsular Florida. The species has been reported from coastal Louisiana, but whether those plants represent native occurrences or plantings is unclear (R. D. Thomas and C. M. Allen 1993–1998, vol. 2). The Florida populations are here recognized as the only native occurrences.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Euphorbia astyla is a specialist on halophytic, alkaline soils and is known in the flora area only in part of Pecos County. The species is closely related to E. jejuna but differs in its sessile or sub-sessile leaves with a cordate-auriculate base and involucral gland appendages that are not deeply lobed or cleft.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 12, p. 250. FNA vol. 12, p. 261.
Parent taxa Euphorbiaceae > Euphorbia > sect. Alectoroctonum 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. 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. 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. abramsiana, E. acuta, E. agraria, E. albomarginata, E. alta, E. angusta, E. antisyphilitica, E. arizonica, 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 Tithymalopsis polyphylla Chamaesyce astyla
Name authority Engelmann ex Chapman: Fl. South. U.S. ed. 2, repr. 2, 694. (1892) Engelmann ex Boissier: in A. P. de Candolle and A. L. P. P. de Candolle, Prodr. 15(2): 40. (1862)
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