Euphorbia polyphylla |
Euphorbia mendezii |
|
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lesser Florida spurge |
Mendez's sandmat |
|
Habit | Herbs, perennial, with spreading rootstock. | Herbs, annual or perennial, with slender taproot. |
Stems | erect or ascending, branched, solitary, few, or occasionally densely clumped, previous year's dead stems not persistent, 18–33 cm, glabrous. |
prostrate, often mat-forming, 8–35 cm, usually villous along margins, lower surface glabrous, upper surface usually strigillose to puberulent, rarely glabrous or glabrate. |
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 usually distinct or connate basally, rarely completely connate, deltate, laciniate, glabrous or pilose (lower side), forming narrow deltate scale, sometimes apically 2-fid or laciniate, glabrous (upper side), 0.4–1.9 mm; petiole 0.3–1.2 mm, glabrous, pilose or villous; blade oblong to obovate, 4–12 × 2–7 mm, base asymmetric, one side attenuate, cuneate or rounded, other rounded or cordate, margins serrulate at least distally, apex obtuse, surfaces glabrous or sparsely sericeous, pilose or villous; 3-veined at base. |
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 or obconic, 0.8–1 × 0.7–0.8 mm, usually glabrous, rarely sparsely pilose toward apex; glands 4, pink, reniform, oblong or elliptic, 0.1 × 0.2–0.3 mm; appendages absent or white to pink, oblong, flabellate or forming narrow rim around edge of gland, 0.1–0.3 × 0.3–0.6 mm, distal margin usually entire, sometimes lobed. |
Staminate flowers | 20–25. |
6–15. |
Pistillate flowers | ovary glabrous; styles 0.6–1 mm, 2-fid at apex. |
ovary usually pilose or villous with hairs concentrated along keels, rarely glabrous; styles 0.2–0.3 mm, 2-fid 1/2 length. |
Capsules | globose, 2.3–2.8 × 4.3–5.1 mm, glabrous; columella 2.5–3.2 mm. |
ovoid, 1.2–1.6 × 1.2–1.4 mm, usually pilose or villous with hairs concentrated along keels, often glabrous in between, very rarely completely glabrous; columella 1–1.4 mm. |
Seeds | ashy gray, ovoid, 2.9 × 2 mm, with obscure shallow depressions; caruncle absent. |
reddish brown to orange or gray-pink, narrowly ovoid, 4-angled in cross section, 0.9–1.2 × 0.5–0.6 mm, almost smooth or with 5–7 faint transverse ridges that do not pass through abaxial keel. |
Cyathia | in terminal dichasia or pleiochasia; peduncle 2–6 mm (to 20 mm for central cyathium), glabrous. |
solitary at nodes or on short, congested axillary branches; peduncle 0.9–2.5 mm. |
Euphorbia polyphylla |
Euphorbia mendezii |
|
Phenology | Flowering and fruiting late spring–late fall. | Flowering and fruiting year-round. |
Habitat | Open sand and pine savannas. | Disturbed areas. |
Elevation | 0–10 m. (0–0 ft.) | 0–10 m. (0–0 ft.) |
Distribution |
FL
|
FL; Mexico; Central America; West Indies; n South America [Introduced in North America] |
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 mendezii is a common weed distributed widely throughout Mexico and Central America. Within the flora area the species is known only from southern Florida. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 12, p. 250. | FNA vol. 12, p. 277. |
Parent taxa | Euphorbiaceae > Euphorbia > sect. Alectoroctonum | Euphorbiaceae > Euphorbia > sect. Anisophyllum |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Tithymalopsis polyphylla | Chamaesyce mendezii |
Name authority | Engelmann ex Chapman: Fl. South. U.S. ed. 2, repr. 2, 694. (1892) | Boissier: Cent. Euphorb., 15. (1860) |
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