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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

EUPHORBIA SPURGE

Mark H. Mayfield

Annual, perennial herb, glabrous or hairy; generally monoecious.
Stem: ascending to erect, generally < 1 m; branches equally forked.
Leaf: cauline, generally alternate, occasionally opposite; stipules 0 or gland-like; generally ± sessile; leaf base symmetrical.
Inflorescence: ± flower-like, generally clustered; clusters whorled in umbel-like, or cyme-like, bracted arrays; involucre generally < 5 mm, ± bell-shaped, bracts 5, fused, glands 4–5, alternating with bracts, appendages generally 0; flowers central.
Staminate flower: 5–many, in 5 clusters around pistillate flower; sepals 0; stamens 1.
Pistillate flower: 1, central, stalked; sepals 0; ovary chambers 3, styles 3, generally fused at base, divided or simple.
Fruit: capsule, round to 3-angled or -lobed in ×-section.
Seed: round or angled in ×-section; surface smooth or sculptured, generally with a knob-like structure at attachment scar.
± 1500 species: warm temperate to tropics, worldwide. (Euphorbus, physician to the King of Mauritania, 1st century) [Wheeler 1936 Bull S Calif Acad Sci 35:127–147] Forms monophyletic group with Chamaesyce, often included in Euphorbia. Euphorbia myrsinites L., Euphorbia rigida L. Bieb. occasionally in gardens but not considered naturalized; Euphorbia serrata L. <Noxious weed> considered extirpated from CA; Euphorbia marginata Pursh occasionally persisting from gardens, but recent records lacking. Euphorbia graminea Jacq. <Noxious weed> an urban weed.

Key to Euphorbia

E. eriantha Benth. BEETLE SPURGE
NATIVE
Annual.
Stem: erect, branches ascending, 1.5–5 dm, glabrous or hairy and becoming glabrous.
Leaf: 2–7 cm, short-petioled; blade linear, acute to obtuse and abruptly pointed, entire, sparsely hairy.
Inflorescence: 1 or few clustered at branch tips; involucre 1.5–2 mm, obconic, densely hairy; glands 1–3, ± 1.5 mm, round, cupped, lobes 5–7, curved over gland.
Staminate flower: 23–36.
Pistillate flower: style simple.
Fruit: 4–5 mm, oblong, lobed, hairy.
Seed: 3.5–4 mm, oblong, flattened, 4-angled; surface tubercled.
Canyons, rocky slopes; < 100 m. Sonoran Desert; to Texas, Mexico. Mar–Apr [Online Interchange]

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Next taxon: Euphorbia exstipulata var. exstipulata

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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 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.
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CCH collections by month

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