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hairy sandmat, wormseed sandmat, wormseed spurge

Missouri spurge, prairie sandmat, prairie spurge

Habit Herbs, annual or short-lived perennial, with slender, fibrous taproot. Herbs, annual, with taproot.
Stems

prostrate to ascending or erect, not mat forming, 10–35 cm, usually sparsely to moderately strigillose, pilose, or villous, rarely glabrate hairs sometimes in longitudinal lines.

erect or ascending, 10–60(–100) cm, glabrous, sometimes ± glaucous.

Leaves

opposite;

stipules distinct or connate, triangular to narrowly triangular or laciniate into subulate to filiform divisions, 0.6–1.3 mm, glabrous or sparsely pilose;

petiole 0.2–0.9 mm, glabrous, villous, or strigillose;

blade ovate, oblong, or elliptic, often falcate, 5–18 × 3–9 mm, base asymmetric, one side rounded and other cordate, margins usually serrulate especially in distal 1/2, rarely nearly entire, apex acute or obtuse, surfaces not papillate, sparsely pilose, villous, or sericeous (especially near base), often glabrate (especially older leaves); 3–5-veined from base.

opposite;

stipules usually distinct, occasionally connate basally on one or both sides of stem, linear to triangular-subulate, usually deeply and irregularly fringed or lobed, rarely entire, 0.7–1.5 mm, glabrous;

petiole 1–3 mm, glabrous;

blade linear to narrowly oblong or narrowly lanceolate-oblong, (4–)8–30 × 3–7 mm, base symmetric or subsymmetric (usually narrower leaves), or slightly asymmetric and angled or short-tapered (wider leaves), margins entire, occasionally ± revolute, apex rounded to truncate, occasionally emarginate or mucronulate, abaxial surface pale green, adaxial surface light to bright green, both surfaces glabrous;

venation obscure.

Involucre

obconic, 0.7–1.1 × 0.5–0.8 mm, glabrous;

glands (2–3)–4, red to reddish green, circular to oblong, 0.1 × 0.1–0.2 mm;

appendages absent or white, turning pink with age, flabellate, oblong, circular, or forming narrow lunate border around margin of gland, 0.1–0.3 × 0.2–0.4 mm, distal margin entire or slightly lobed.

broadly campanulate, 1.2–1.8 × 1.7–1.9 mm, glabrous;

glands 4, yellowish green, broadly oblong to nearly circular, cupped or folded, 0.3–0.6 × 0.3–0.7 mm;

appendages white or ± pinkish tinged, ovate to oblong-ovate, 0.4–2.5 × 1.1–1.7 mm, distal margin entire or slightly crenate or emarginate at tip.

Staminate flowers

5–15.

24–60.

Pistillate flowers

ovary glabrous;

styles 0.3–0.5 mm, 2-fid 1/2 length.

ovary glabrous;

styles 0.5–1.4 mm, 2-fid 1/2 length.

Capsules

oblate to subglobose, cocci not elongated nor terminating in empty portion, 1.4–1.8 × 1.7–2.1 mm, glabrous;

columella 1.1–1.5 mm.

broadly ovoid-globose, 1.9–2.5 × 2–2.5(–3) mm, glabrous;

columella 1.8–2.1 mm.

Seeds

brown, gray, or almost black, ovoid to oblong, 3–4-angled in cross section, 1.1–1.4 × 0.7–0.8 mm, rugulose and sometimes also with low transverse ridges that do not interrupt abaxial keel.

mottled whitish to brown, ovoid to broadly ovoid-triangular, bluntly 3-angled in cross section, 1.5–2 × 1.1–1.4 mm, smooth or slightly wrinkled.

Cyathia

solitary at distal nodes or in small, cymose clusters at branch tips;

peduncle 0.2–2.5 mm.

solitary or in small, cymose clusters these occasionally subtended by reduced, bractlike leaves at distal nodes or on congested, axillary branches;

peduncle 1–5(–11) mm.

Euphorbia vermiculata

Euphorbia missurica

Phenology Flowering and fruiting spring–fall. Flowering and fruiting late spring–late summer.
Habitat Juniper-oak woodlands, temperate deciduous forests, grasslands, pine forests, oak forests with sycamores, walnuts and alders, often in disturbed areas. Glades, ledges, bluff tops (usually calcareous), dry upland forest margins, sandy or disturbed areas.
Elevation 0–2600 m. (0–8500 ft.) 50–1500 m. (200–4900 ft.)
Distribution
from FNA
AZ; CT; IL; IN; MA; MD; ME; MI; MN; NH; NJ; NM; NY; OH; PA; RI; VA; VT; WI; WV; NB; NS; ON; QC; Mexico; temperate deciduous forests; often in disturbed areas; walnuts and alders; oak forests with sycamores; pine forests; grasslands; Juniper-oak woodlands
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
AR; CO; IA; KS; MO; MT; ND; NE; NM; OK; SD; TX; WY
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Euphorbia vermiculata has an interesting disjunct distribution; it ranges from central Mexico to Arizona and New Mexico, and is also present in the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Euphorbia missurica is similar to the western E. parryi but has a more upright growth habit and more conspicuous involucral gland appendages. Native occurrences have been documented from Minnesota (last collected in Ottertail County in 1936), but it appears to have been extirpated from that state due to habitat loss to agriculture.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 12, p. 292. FNA vol. 12, p. 278.
Parent taxa Euphorbiaceae > Euphorbia > sect. Anisophyllum 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. 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. 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. 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. 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 Chamaesyce rothrockii, C. vermiculata, E. rothrockii Chamaesyce missurica, E. missurica var. intermedia, E. petaloidea var. intermedia
Name authority Rafinesque: Amer. Monthly Mag. & Crit. Rev. 2: 206. (1818) Rafinesque: Atlantic J. 1: 146. (1832)
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