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hairy sandmat, wormseed sandmat, wormseed spurge

low 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, unbranched or branched, 5–20 cm, glabrous.

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.

petiole 0–0.2 mm;

blade linear-oblanceolate to cuneate-spatulate, 5–20 × 1–4 mm, base attenuate, margins entire, apex rounded to obtuse, surfaces glabrous;

venation inconspicuously pinnate, midvein prominent.

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-turbinate, 0.8–1 × 0.6–0.9 mm, glabrous;

glands 4, elliptic, 0.2–0.3 × 0.5–0.6 mm;

horns divergent, 0.4–0.5 mm.

Staminate flowers

5–15.

5–10.

Pistillate flowers

ovary glabrous;

styles 0.3–0.5 mm, 2-fid 1/2 length.

ovary glabrous;

styles 0.5–0.7 mm, 2-fid.

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.

depressed-globose, 1.8–2.3 × 2.6–3 mm, 3-lobed;

cocci slightly flattened, without wings, smooth, glabrous;

columella 1.3–1.5 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.

gray to brown, oblong, 1.3–1.6 × 0.9–1.1 mm, abaxial faces irregularly large-pitted, adaxial faces longitudinally sulcate;

caruncle flat, umbonate, 2-lobed, 0.4 × 0.7 mm.

Cyathia

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

peduncle 0.2–2.5 mm.

peduncle 0.3–0.5 mm.

Cyathial

arrangement: terminal pleiochasial branches 3(–5), 1–3 times 2-branched;

pleiochasial bracts linear, lanceolate, or spatulate, similar in size to distal leaves;

dichasial bracts distinct, rhomboid-lanceolate to ovate, falcate, base rounded to obtuse, margins entire or slightly erose, apex acute;

axillary cymose branches 0–3.

Euphorbia vermiculata

Euphorbia peplidion

Phenology Flowering and fruiting spring–fall. Flowering and fruiting late winter–spring.
Habitat Juniper-oak woodlands, temperate deciduous forests, grasslands, pine forests, oak forests with sycamores, walnuts and alders, often in disturbed areas. Dry, sandy areas, open areas with poor soils, roadsides, stream banks.
Elevation 0–2600 m. (0–8500 ft.) 100–300 m. (300–1000 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
TX
[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 peplidion is native to central and south-central Texas.

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

Source FNA vol. 12, p. 292. FNA vol. 12, p. 306.
Parent taxa Euphorbiaceae > Euphorbia > sect. Anisophyllum Euphorbiaceae > Euphorbia > subg. Esula
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. missurica, E. myrsinites, E. nephradenia, E. nutans, E. oblongata, E. ocellata, E. ophthalmica, E. ouachitana, E. parishii, E. parryi, E. pediculifera, 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 Tithymalus peplidion
Name authority Rafinesque: Amer. Monthly Mag. & Crit. Rev. 2: 206. (1818) Engelmann: in W. H. Emory, Rep. U.S. Mex. Bound. 2(1): 191. (1859)
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