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EUPHORBIACEAE SPURGE FAMILY

Mark H. Mayfield & Grady L. Webster, except as noted

Annual to shrub, tree [ vine]; monoecious or dioecious.
Stem: generally branched [ fleshy or spiny].
Leaf: generally simple, alternate or opposite, generally stipuled, petioled; blade entire, toothed, or palmately lobed.
Inflorescence: terminal or axillary panicle, raceme or spike, or (Chamaesyce, Euphorbia) a compact unit enclosed by an involucre appearing flower-like, terminal or axillary, 1 or in whorled, umbel-like, or cyme-like arrays.
Flower: unisexual, ± radial; sepals generally 3–5, free or fused; petals generally 0; stamens 1–many, free or filaments fused; ovary superior, chambers 1–4, styles free or fused, simple or lobed.
Fruit: generally capsule.
Seed: 1 per chamber; seed scar appendage sometimes present, pad- to dome-like.
218 genera, 6000+ species: ± worldwide especially tropics; some cultivated (Aleurites, tung oil; Euphorbia species; Hevea, rubber; Ricinus). Many species ± highly TOXIC. [Wurdack & Davis 2009 Amer J Bot 96:1551–1570] Eremocarpus moved to Croton. Tetracoccus moved to Picrodendraceae. —Scientific Editor: Bruce G. Baldwin.
Unabridged references: [Webster 1994 Ann Missouri Bot Gard 81:1–144]

Key to Euphorbiaceae

CROTON
Annual to shrub [ tree]; sap clear or colored; monoecious or dioecious.
Stem: spreading to erect.
Leaf: cauline, alternate, entire in CA; hairs generally stellate.
Inflorescence: cyme, spike, or raceme, generally terminal.
Staminate flower: generally pedicelled; sepals generally 5; petals 5 or 0; stamens 8–50(300), filaments free, bent inward in bud; nectar disk generally divided.
Pistillate flower: pedicel short or 0, becoming longer in fruit; sepals generally 5, entire to lobed; petals generally 0; nectar disk entire; ovary 1–3-chambered, styles 2-lobed, ± dissected, or simple.
Fruit: spheric or 3-lobed, smooth or tubercled.
Seed: smooth to ribbed or pitted; scar appendaged.
1200–1300 species: tropics, warm temperate, worldwide. (Greek: tick, for resemblance of seed) [Berry et al. 2005 Amer J Bot 92:1520–1534]

Key to Croton

C. wigginsii L.C. Wheeler WIGGINS' CROTON
NATIVE
Subshrub to shrub, < 1 m; dioecious; hairs stellate, scale-like.
Leaf: petiole 1–4 cm; blade 2–8.5 cm, narrowly elliptic to linear-oblong, tip rounded to obtuse.
Inflorescence: raceme.
Staminate flower: pedicel 1–5.5(7) mm; petals 0; stamens 10–15.
Pistillate flower: pedicel < 2 mm, 4–7 mm in fruit; sepals ± 2 mm; ovary 3-chambered, styles 3, 2-lobed, lobes 2- forked.
Seed: 6.5–7 mm, smooth.
Sand dunes; < 100 m. se Sonoran Desert (se Imperial Co.); Arizona, nw Mexico. Mar–May [Online Interchange] {CNPS list}

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Citation for the whole project: Jepson Flora Project (eds.) [year] Jepson eFlora, http://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/IJM.html [accessed on month, day, year]
Citation for an individual treatment: [Author of taxon treatment] [year]. [Taxon name] in Jepson Flora Project (eds.) Jepson eFlora, [URL for treatment]. Accessed on [month, day, year].

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Bioregions in which taxon occursRed area (if present) is the part of the bioregion lying between the upper and lower elevation limits of the taxon;
markers link to CCH specimen records. If the markers are obscured, reload the page [or change window size and reload]. Yellow markers indicate records that may provide evidence for eFlora range revision or may have georeferencing or identification issues.
map of distribution 1

Chart based on elevation range in Manual and elevations and coordinates of CCH records.
Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria.
Note: About half of the CCH records include both elevation and coordinates.
Map made in collaboration with Scott Loarie. Data provided by the participants of the Consortium of California Herbaria.
View all CCH records

 

CCH collections by month

Duplicates counted once; synonyms included.
Species do not include records of infraspecific taxa.
Blue line denotes Manual flowering time.