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lesser Florida spurge

dune spurge, flat-seed spurge, flatseed sandmat

Habit Herbs, perennial, with spreading rootstock. Herbs, annual or short-lived 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, spreading and often mat-forming, 10–100 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 usually distinct, occasionally connate basally, rarely to middle, subulate, narrowly triangular, or divided into 2–4 subulate segments, 0.5–1.1 mm, glabrous;

petiole 1–3.6 mm, glabrous;

blade oblong to obovate, 5–12 × 3–5 mm, base subsymmetric, cuneate to attenuate, margins entire, apex usually acute to mucronulate, rarely obtuse, surfaces glabrous;

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.

campanulate to obconic, 1.5–2 × 1.3–2.5 mm, glabrous;

glands 4, yellowish, subcircular to oblong, 0.5–0.6 × 0.5–0.6 mm;

appendages white, ovate to oblong or almost triangular, 0.3–0.6 × 0.3–0.8 mm, distal margin entire or shallowly 2–3-lobed.

Staminate flowers

20–25.

45–50.

Pistillate flowers

ovary glabrous;

styles 0.6–1 mm, 2-fid at apex.

ovary glabrous, styles 0.4–0.6 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 to ellipsoid, 2.7–3.2 × 2.2–2.9 mm, glabrous;

columella 2.6–2.8 mm.

Seeds

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

caruncle absent.

whitish, pinkish, or light brown, ellipsoid-oblong, weakly dorsiventrally compressed and semielliptic in cross section, 2.2–2.5 × 1.3–1.6 mm, with sharp linelike longitudinal ridge on adaxial side, smooth and rounded on back.

Cyathia

in terminal dichasia or pleiochasia;

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

solitary at distal nodes;

peduncle 1.6–4.1 mm.

Euphorbia polyphylla

Euphorbia platysperma

Phenology Flowering and fruiting late spring–late fall. Flowering and fruiting year-round in response to sufficient moisture.
Habitat Open sand and pine savannas. Sand dunes in Sonoran Desert scrub.
Elevation 0–10 m. (0–0 ft.) 60–200 m. (200–700 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
FL
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AZ; CA; Mexico (Baja California, Sonora)
[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.)

Source FNA vol. 12, p. 250. FNA vol. 12, p. 282.
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. 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. 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 platysperma
Name authority Engelmann ex Chapman: Fl. South. U.S. ed. 2, repr. 2, 694. (1892) Engelmann: in W. H. Brewer et al., Bot. California 2: 482. (1880)
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