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Euphorbia cyathophora

Murray (1786)

This name is accepted

Kingdom: Viridiplantae Phylum: Magnoliophyta Class/Clade: Eudicot-Rosids Order: Malpighiales Family: Euphorbiaceae Genus: Euphorbia

Mexican fire plant, painted leaf, red leaved wild poinsettia, wild poinsettia

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Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Glabrous annual herbs.

Stems: Stems green, ascending, somewhat glaucous, 1–5 dm long.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Alternate toward base of stems, opposite above. Blades linear, ovate, or panduriform, 2–15 cm long, 0.1–4 cm wide. Apex acute or rarely short-acuminate. Base cuneate. Surfaces green, floral leaves usually red at least at base. Margins entire to coarsely dentate. Petiolate. Stipules present, brownish glands.

Flowers: Flowers in cyathia in dense terminal cymes. pistillate flowers solitary, on a gynophore; staminate flowers in 5 groups or cymules, each with 1 to several flowers. involucre ca. 3 mm high, glabrous, gland 1, bilabiate, flattened, without an appendage. Flowers unisexual and highly reduced. Calyx (sepals) absent. Corolla (petals) absent. Male flower reduced to a single stamen, with an articulation at junction of pedicel and filament, subtended by slender bracteoles. Ovary superior, 3-carpellate; ovules 1 per cell, anatropous.

Fruit: Capsules broadly ovoid; 3–4 mm long. Seeds ovoid–cylindrical; the ends truncate or rounded; 2.5–3 mm long; the surface finely and sharply tuberculate; ecarunculate.

Ploidy:

Habitat: Low elevation; dry; disturbed sites.

Elevation Range:

Historical Distribution

Images

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Uses and Culture

USES

Natural History

Statewide Status

Naturalized

Island Status

Kuaihelani (Midway Atoll) Naturalized
Kaua'i Naturalized
O'ahu Naturalized
Molokai Naturalized
Maui Naturalized
Hawai'i Naturalized

Dispersal Agents


Pollinators

Bibliography

Name Published In: Commentat. Soc. Regiae Sci. Gott. 7: 81 (1786)

Other References

Wagner et al. 1990:618 (Mi, K, O, Mo, M); Staples & Herbst 2005:285 (KEY), 288 (DESCR); Parker & Parsons 2010:41 (H)

Occurrences

SNo. Scientific Name Scientific Name Authorship Locality Habitat Basis of Record Recorded By Record Number Island Source Date
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