Euphorbia polyphylla |
Euphorbia cinerascens |
|
---|---|---|
lesser Florida spurge |
ashy sandmat |
|
Habit | Herbs, perennial, with spreading rootstock. | Herbs, perennial, with moderately to strongly thickened rootstock. |
Stems | erect or ascending, branched, solitary, few, or occasionally densely clumped, previous year's dead stems not persistent, 18–33 cm, glabrous. |
prostrate to decumbent, mat-forming, 5–30 cm, appressed wooly, strigillose, or short-sericeous. |
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 distinct, subulate, 0.2–0.5 mm, appressed wooly to sericeous; petiole 0.3–0.8 mm, appressed wooly to sericeous; blade ovate to elliptic, 1.5–5.5 × 1.3–4 mm, base asymmetric, obtuse to hemicordate, margins entire often reddish, apex usually obtuse, occasionally acute (young leaves), surfaces sericeous to strigillose or slightly pilose, adaxial surface often glabrous; 3-veined from base but 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. |
turbinate, 0.8–1.3 × 1.2–2 mm, appressed wooly, sericeous, or strigillose; glands 4, purple-black, elliptic to oblong, 0.2–0.3 × 0.4–0.6 mm; appendages absent or reddish pink, forming narrow rim around distal margin of gland, 0–0.1 × 0–0.6 mm, distal margin entire, crenulate, or erose. |
Staminate flowers | 20–25. |
15–20. |
Pistillate flowers | ovary glabrous; styles 0.6–1 mm, 2-fid at apex. |
ovary canescent; styles 0.3–0.5 mm, 2-fid at apex. |
Capsules | globose, 2.3–2.8 × 4.3–5.1 mm, glabrous; columella 2.5–3.2 mm. |
subglobose to broadly ovoid, 1.3–1.7 × 1.5–1.8 mm, canescent; columella 1–1.3 mm. |
Seeds | ashy gray, ovoid, 2.9 × 2 mm, with obscure shallow depressions; caruncle absent. |
white to pinkish or light brown, ovoid, 4-angled in cross section, 1–1.4 × 0.6–0.8 mm, smooth to rugulose or rarely with 1–2 inconspicuous transverse ridges. |
Cyathia | in terminal dichasia or pleiochasia; peduncle 2–6 mm (to 20 mm for central cyathium), glabrous. |
solitary at distal nodes; peduncle 0.2–0.3 mm. |
2n | = 32. |
|
Euphorbia polyphylla |
Euphorbia cinerascens |
|
Phenology | Flowering and fruiting late spring–late fall. | Flowering and fruiting year-round (mostly spring–fall). |
Habitat | Open sand and pine savannas. | Desert scrub, oak and juniper woodlands, thorn scrub, shrublands, grasslands, frequently on limestone substrates. |
Elevation | 0–10 m. (0–0 ft.) | 70–1400 m. (200–4600 ft.) |
Distribution |
FL
|
TX; Mexico |
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.) |
In the flora area, Euphorbia cinerascens is found only in southern and western Texas. In Mexico, it is found from Chihuahua east to Tamaulipas, south to Guanajuato. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 12, p. 250. | FNA vol. 12, p. 264. |
Parent taxa | Euphorbiaceae > Euphorbia > sect. Alectoroctonum | Euphorbiaceae > Euphorbia > sect. Anisophyllum |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Tithymalopsis polyphylla | Chamaesyce cinerascens |
Name authority | Engelmann ex Chapman: Fl. South. U.S. ed. 2, repr. 2, 694. (1892) | Engelmann: in W. H. Emory, Rep. U.S. Mex. Bound. 2(1): 186. (1859) |
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