Warty spurge
Euphorbia spathulata Lam.
Images
Click on image to view full size
Morphology
- Stem
- Ascending to erect, simple or branched, glabrous.
- Leaves
- Alternate; stipules absent; petiole absent; blade oblanceolate to oblong or spatulate, 1/3 to 2 inches long, 1/4 to 2/5 inch wide, base symmetric, subcordate to rounded or attenuate, sometimes clasping, margins minutely toothed, tip rounded to obtuse or retuse, surfaces glabrous.
- Inflorescence
- Cup-shaped receptacles (cyathia), terminal, peduncle less than 1/25 inch.
- Flower
- Involucres bell-shaped, less than 1/20 inch, glabrous; glands 4 to 5, greenish, elliptic to obong or reniform; appendage absent. Flowers unisexual. Staminate flowers 3-10, sepals 0; petals 0; stamen 1. Pistillate flower 1: sepals 0; petals 0; ovary glabrous; styles two-cleft for 1/2--1/4 their lengths.
- Fruit
- Capsules depressed-globose, 3-lobed, 1/12 to 1/8 inch, glabrous, warty near apex and along lobes; seeds reddish brown to dark purple, ovoid to globose, .05 to .09 inch, smooth to reticulate or ridged.
Ecology
- Habitat
- Rocky or sandy tallgrass and mixed-grass prairies.
- Distribution
- Principally east 4/5 but also scattered occurrence in west of Kansas.
Additional Notes
Comments
The plants have a milky sap. For Euphorbus, 1st century Greek physcian. Euphorbia is among the largest genera of flowering plants. 23 species have been documented in Kansas.
Quick Facts
- Plant Type
- Wildflower
- Family
- Euphorbiaceae - Spurge Family
- Life Span
- Annual
- Height
- 4-28 inches
- Origin
- Native
- Last Updated
- 2023-08-21
Color Groups
White, Green & Greenish White Wildflowers
Flowering Period
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Blooms: May, June, July, August, September