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Euphorbia peplus

L. (1753)

This name is accepted

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

petty spurge

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Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Annual herbs.

Stems: Stems 1.5–3.5 dm long, glabrous.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Alternate below, becoming opposite or ternate above. Blades spatulate, 1–1.4 cm long, 0.8–1.2 cm wide. Apex rounded. Base acute or cuneate. Surfaces bright green, caducous below, membranous, floral leaves smaller, often congested and reflexed. Margins entire. Petioles 0–0.6 cm long. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers in cyathia solitary in the forks of the upper branches; pistillate flowers solitary, on a gynophore; staminate flowers in 5 groups or cymules, each with 1 to several flowers; peduncles 0.6– 1 mm long. involucre pale green, ca. 1 mm high, glabrous, glands 4, green, crescent–shaped, ca. 0.5 mm long, with slender or filiform horns 0.5–0.7 mm long. 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; shallowly 3–lobed; 1.8–2 mm long; 2–2.2 mm in diameter. Seeds gray; ovoid–oblong; weakly 6–angled; ca. 1.5 mm long; ca. 0.8 mm wide; coarsely pitted and minutely white tuberculate; carunculate.

Ploidy: 2n = 16

Habitat: Open or often shaded; disturbed sites; especially pastures.

Elevation Range: 300–2,300 m.

Historical Distribution

Images

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Uses and Culture

USES

Natural History

Statewide Status

Naturalized

Island Status

Mokupāpapa (Kure atoll) Naturalized
Kuaihelani (Midway Atoll) Naturalized
Kaua'i Naturalized
Maui Naturalized
Hawai'i Naturalized

Dispersal Agents


Pollinators

Bibliography

Name Published In: Sp. Pl.: 456 (1753)

Other References

Wagner et al. 1990:619 (Mi, M, H); Lorence et al. 1995:35 (K); Starr et al. 2003:27 (Ku)

Occurrences

SNo. Scientific Name Locality Habitat Basis of Record Recorded By Record Number Island Source Date
1 Euphorbia peplus Above Papae Clarke Under Myoporum- Styphelia thicket. Preserved_Specimen Greenwell, A.B.H. 25 Hawaii BISH 1950-11-13
2 Euphorbia peplus Waimea District: Kokee State Park, Mohihi Road at c. 1 mile east of Hwy 550, cabin of John Plews Naturalized in garden. Preserved_Specimen Lorence, D.H. 5796 Kauai BISH 1988-02-13
3 Euphorbia peplus Kaupulehu. Along highway 190 On bare dirt. Preserved_Specimen Takeuchi, W.N. Hawaii BISH
4 Euphorbia peplus Puu Kapele NW slope of cone. Preserved_Specimen Fagerlund, G.O. 513 Hawaii BISH 1943-04-13
5 Euphorbia peplus Green Island occasional herb by LORAN Bldgs; most common at proximal end of road to transmitter bldg & tower. Preserved_Specimen Herbst, D.R. 6255 Kure Atoll BISH 1979-01-04
6 Euphorbia peplus Hualalai Preserved_Specimen Pope, W.T. Hawaii BISH 1928-01-01
7 Euphorbia peplus Kanaio, S slope of Haleakala Preserved_Specimen Forbes, C.N. 1789 Maui BISH 1920-03-01
8 Euphorbia peplus Manua Island, Olinda (?prison camp) Preserved_Specimen Krauss, N.L.H. 1117 Maui BISH 1967-04-15
9 Euphorbia peplus Makahalau paddock Preserved_Specimen Rock, J.F.C. 3245 Hawaii BISH 1909-06-23
10 Euphorbia peplus Kure Atoll Preserved_Specimen Starr, F. 105224 Kure Atoll BISH 2001-05-22
11 Euphorbia peplus Auwahi Preserved_Specimen Krauss, N.L.H. 1106 Maui BISH 1967-04-18
12 Euphorbia peplus Summit of Hualalai Preserved_Specimen Forbes, C.N. 202 Hawaii BISH 1911-06-19
13 Euphorbia peplus East Maui, Haleakala National Park, in gravel by Park Nursery door. Preserved_Specimen Welton, P. 2316 Maui BISH 2012-09-21
14 Euphorbia peplus East Maui, Makawao Preserved_Specimen Forbes, C.N. Maui BISH 1910-08-01
15 Euphorbia peplus Moano hill, Mauna Kea Preserved_Specimen Rock, J.F.C. Hawaii BISH 1909-06-01
16 Euphorbia peplus In Koloa (probably Kailua) Preserved_Specimen Faurie, A. 464 BISH 1909-01-01
17 Euphorbia peplus North Kona District: Hawaii Belt Road (Mamalahoa Hwy.) near mile 28; Kaupulehu Preserve Preserved_Specimen Flynn, T.W. 1757 Hawaii BISH 1986-05-27
18 Euphorbia peplus Kona, Kikiaeae Grassland areas, broken spots. Preserved_Specimen Christ, J.H. Hawaii BISH 1958-05-16
19 Euphorbia peplus East Maui, Makawao District, Kanaio, Ulupalakua In moist place under trees. Preserved_Specimen Hosaka, E.Y. 1734 Maui BISH 1937-01-23
20 Euphorbia peplus East Maui, S slope of Haleakala, Auwahi In company with Verbena and pasture grasses in remnant forest of scattered Dodonaea, Myoporum & Planchonella. Preserved_Specimen Nagata, K.M. 1676 Maui BISH 1978-07-05
21 Euphorbia peplus Puuwaawaa Monodominant ohia forest on transect T19. Occasional on bare 'a'a. Preserved_Specimen Takeuchi, W.N. 5837 Hawaii BISH 1989-05-01
22 Euphorbia peplus North Kona, Puuwaawaa On dry 'a'a lava slope. Preserved_Specimen Webster, G.L. 1872 Hawaii BISH 1948-06-21
23 Euphorbia peplus East Maui, Middle Auwahi Remnant dryland sclerophyll forest. Preserved_Specimen Wagner, W.L. 5458 Maui BISH 1984-10-07
24 Euphorbia peplus Waimea, Kohala Mts Pasture. Preserved_Specimen Fosberg, F.R. 10258 Hawaii BISH 1933-09-03
25 Euphorbia peplus Kula, near foot of Haleakala Road In shaded places in pasture on gently sloping volcanic soil. Preserved_Specimen Fosberg, F.R. 55670 Maui BISH 1975-03-14
26 Euphorbia peplus S. Kona DISTR. Kealakekua AHU. Tr 60 (67) W. slopes of Mauna Loa; 3-4 km. S. of Kipuka Mamani & Waiio Kipuka Mesic 'ohi'a forest with other native trees and native shrub-exotic grass and shrub u/s. Growing on 'a'a substrate. Preserved_Specimen Warshauer, F.R. 2057 Hawaii BISH 1978-08-04
27 Euphorbia peplus Puu Laau Growing near the hunter's cabin. Preserved_Specimen Herbst, D.R. 5181 Hawaii BISH 1975-01-18
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