Euphorbia polyphylla |
Euphorbia melanadenia |
|
---|---|---|
lesser Florida spurge |
red-gland spurge, squaw 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. |
ascending to erect, 5–20 cm, sericeous to appressed-villous. |
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 (lower side) and connate (upper side), linear, 0.5–1 mm, densely pilose; petiole 0.8–1.5 mm, tomentose; blade ovate, 1.2–5 × 0.8–2.9 mm, base asymmetric, hemicordate, margins entire, apex rounded to acute, surfaces tomentose; venation inconspicuous. |
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. |
campanulate, 0.6–1.1 × 0.7–1 mm, tomentose; glands 4, deep red to purple, elliptic, 0.3–0.4 × 0.4–0.7 mm; appendages white or becoming pink with age, oblong to flabellate, 0.4–0.7(–1) × 0.7–1.2 mm, distal margin entire or erose. |
Staminate flowers | 20–25. |
45–80. |
Pistillate flowers | ovary glabrous; styles 0.6–1 mm, 2-fid at apex. |
ovary tomentose, styles 0.5–0.8 mm, 2-fid nearly entire length. |
Capsules | globose, 2.3–2.8 × 4.3–5.1 mm, glabrous; columella 2.5–3.2 mm. |
ovoid, 1.4–1.8 × 1.4–1.7 mm, tomentose; columella 1.2–1.5 mm. |
Seeds | ashy gray, ovoid, 2.9 × 2 mm, with obscure shallow depressions; caruncle absent. |
gray to tan, oblong, 4-angled in cross section, 1–1.2 × 0.4–0.6 mm, smooth to wrinkled or alveolate. |
Cyathia | in terminal dichasia or pleiochasia; peduncle 2–6 mm (to 20 mm for central cyathium), glabrous. |
solitary at distal nodes; peduncle (0.6–)1.4–1.9 mm. |
Euphorbia polyphylla |
Euphorbia melanadenia |
|
Phenology | Flowering and fruiting late spring–late fall. | Flowering and fruiting year-round. |
Habitat | Open sand and pine savannas. | Rocky slopes, river washes, dry to wet soils. |
Elevation | 0–10 m. (0–0 ft.) | 400–1400 m. (1300–4600 ft.) |
Distribution |
FL
|
AZ; CA; Mexico (Baja California, Sonora)
|
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 melanadenia is similar in appearance to E. cinerascens, but E. melanadenia has conspicuous involucral gland appendages whereas E. cinerascens has inconspicuous appendages or lacks them entirely. Euphorbia melanadenia occurs in Arizona and southern California, whereas E. cinerascens is found only in southern and western Texas. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 12, p. 250. | FNA vol. 12, p. 276. |
Parent taxa | Euphorbiaceae > Euphorbia > sect. Alectoroctonum | Euphorbiaceae > Euphorbia > sect. Anisophyllum |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Tithymalopsis polyphylla | Chamaesyce melanadenia |
Name authority | Engelmann ex Chapman: Fl. South. U.S. ed. 2, repr. 2, 694. (1892) | Torrey: in War Department [U.S.], Pacif. Railr. Rep. 4(5): 135. (1857) |
Web links |