Euphorbia terracina |
Euphorbia blodgettii |
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carnation spurge, Geraldton carnation weed, terracina spurge |
limestone sandmat |
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Habit | Herbs, perennial or biennial, with taproot. | Herbs, usually annual, occasionally perennial, with slender to slightly thickened taproot, 3.5 mm diam.. |
Stems | erect, unbranched or branched, 10–100 cm, glabrous. |
prostrate to decumbent, loosely mat-forming, often rooting at nodes, 10–45 cm, glabrous. |
Leaves | petiole absent; blade linear, linear-lanceolate, oblong-elliptic, or obovate, 4–50 × 2–10 mm, base obtuse or truncate, margins finely serrulate, apex acute, obtuse, or truncate, sometimes mucronulate, surfaces glabrous; venation inconspicuous, only midvein prominent. |
opposite; stipules distinct, subulate filiform segments (lower side), or connate forming conspicuous, broad deltate scale (upper side), toothed, 0.5–1 mm, glabrous; petiole 0.7–1 mm, glabrous; blade ovate to oblong-elliptic, 4–10 × 2–5 mm, base asymmetric, subcordate to rounded, margins usually entire, occasionally toothed, apex usually obtuse to rounded, occasionally acute to apiculate, surfaces without red blotch, glabrous; 3-veined from base, only midvein conspicuous. |
Involucre | cupulate to slightly turbinate, 1.1–2 × 1.3–1.5 mm, glabrous or puberulent; glands 4, elliptic to trapezoidal, 0.6–0.8 × 1–2 mm; horns slightly convergent to divergent, 1–2 mm. |
turbinate to campanulate, 0.5–0.6 × 0.4–0.6 mm, glabrous; glands 4, red, slightly concave, elliptic-oblong, 0.1 × 0.1–0.3 mm; appendages white to pink, unequal, pair near sinus lunate to oblong, 0.1–0.2 × 0.1–0.3 mm, distal margin entire, crenulate, or irregularly sinuate, other pair sometimes rudimentary, 0–0.1 × 0.1–0.3 mm, distal margin crenulate or entire. |
Staminate flowers | 15–20. |
8–12. |
Pistillate flowers | ovary glabrous; styles 1–1.8 mm, 2-fid. |
ovary glabrous; styles 0.3–0.4 mm, 2-fid 1/2 length. |
Capsules | depressed-globose, 2.5–3 × 3–4.5 mm, deeply 3-lobed; cocci rounded to subangular, smooth, glabrous; columella 1.9–2.3 mm. |
broadly ovoid, 1.2–1.7 × 1.4–1.9 mm, glabrous; columella 1.2–1.6 mm. |
Seeds | pale gray, subovoid, 1.6–2.4 × 1.3–1.8 mm, smooth; caruncle boat-shaped, 0.4–0.6 × 0.4–0.6 mm. |
gray to reddish brown, oblong-ovoid, 4-angled in cross section, 0.9–1.1 × 0.5–0.6 mm, flat or obscurely wrinkled. |
Cyathial | arrangement: terminal pleiochasial branches 2–5, each 1–5 times 2-branched; pleiochasial bracts lanceolate, elliptic or ovate, similar in size to distal leaves; dichasial bracts distinct, ovate to subreniform, base cuneate to cordate, margins finely serrulate, apex acute, obtuse, or rounded, sometimes mucronulate or cuspidate; axillary cymose branches 0–7. |
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Cyathia | peduncle 1–3 mm. |
solitary or in small, cymose clusters at distal nodes of stem or on congested, axillary branches; peduncle 0.4–0.6 mm. |
Euphorbia terracina |
Euphorbia blodgettii |
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Phenology | Flowering and fruiting spring–summer. | Flowering and fruiting year-round. |
Habitat | Edges of cultivated fields and woodlands, roadsides, waste areas, pastures, coastal bluffs, dunes, riparian areas. | Coastal sand dunes and disturbed upland sandy areas. |
Elevation | 0–300 m. (0–1000 ft.) | 0–20 m. (0–100 ft.) |
Distribution |
CA; Europe [Introduced in North America; introduced also in Mexico, s Africa, Australia]
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FL |
Discussion | Euphorbia terracina is native to the Mediterranean region of Europe. This species is invasive and spreading rapidly, displacing native coastal scrub in southern California, and has been listed as a noxious weed by that state. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Euphorbia blodgettii is found only in peninsular Florida. It is closely related to E. garberi, E. porteriana, and E. serpens (Y. Yang and P. E. Berry 2011). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Source | FNA vol. 12, p. 310. | FNA vol. 12, p. 261. |
Parent taxa | Euphorbiaceae > Euphorbia > subg. Esula | Euphorbiaceae > Euphorbia > sect. Anisophyllum |
Sibling taxa | ||
Synonyms | Tithymalus terracinus | Chamaesyce blodgettii, C. nashii |
Name authority | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. ed. 2, 1: 654. (1762) | Engelmann ex Hitchcock: Rep. (Annual) Missouri Bot. Gard. 4: 126, plate 13. (1893) |
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