Plant Image
Flowers and fruit


Yavapai County Native & Naturalized Plants

Euphorbia exstipulata - squareseed spurge

Synonyms: Euphorbia exstipulata var. exstipulata, E. exstipulata var. lata
Other Common Names: Clark mountain spurge
Plant Form: Forb or Subshrub

Family: Euphorbiaceae


   
 
line decor
  Home   Plant Communities Plant List Search Forbs and Subshrubs Search Grasses Search Woody Plants Additional Resources About this Website
line decor
 

Click on Any Image for a Larger View

Ligule
Patrick Alexander @http://swbiodiversity.org, Usage Rights: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA)
Plant
Max Licher @http://swbiodiversity.org, Usage Rights: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA)
Forb Plant Description

Origin: Native   Life Cycle: Annual   Similar Species: Euphorbia aliceae, E. aliciae.
General Desc: Low annual herb, 6 to 8 inches tall; stems erect and branching, with branches spreading to ascending, often forked near the flower clusters at branch tips; plant minutely hairy.
Identification notes: Annual, branches often arch; stems often somewhat hairy, leaf blades stemmed, narrow, margins toothed; flower cluster gland appendages usually present, petal-like, white to pink, not covering the 4 to 5 yellow to pink glands.
Height: 6 to 8 inches


Habitat

Habitat Description: Found in dry rocky spots, desert scrub, grasslands, grassy plains with mesquite, oak and oak-juniper woodlands.
Plant Communities: Desert Scrub, Semidesert Grasslands, Pinyon Juniper Woodland
Elevation: 4000 - 6000 feet


Flower Characteristics

Color: Yellow, pink, whitish     Shape: Regular in round clusters     Tubular: N     Flowering Period: Sep
Description: Bracts form a cup with 4 yellow to pink glands around edge, each with white to pink petal-like appendages, sometimes divided into triangular lobes; ring of inconspicuous male flowers, each with single stamen; single, stalked female flower, lacks petals.


Leaf and Stem Characteristics

Leaf Color: Green     Leaf Type: Simple     Leaf Shape: Narrow     Leaf Margin: Toothed     Leaf Attachment: Opposite     Leaves Clasp: N
Hairs: Leaves and stems     Spines: N
Leaf Description: Leaves narrow and opposite, 3/4 to 1-1/2 inches long, sharply serrated; most leaves clustered near branch tips and forking; short leaf stalks, with tiny gland appendages at the base of the leaf stems; midvein visible.


Fruit and Seed Characteristics

Fruit Color: Green   
Fruit Type: Capsule
Fruit Notes: Capsules angled, distinctly 3-lobed, oblong, 1/8 inch wide, sparsely hairy.
Seed Notes: Seeds white to gray or light brown, egg-shaped, wart-like bumps, bluntly 4-angled in cross-section, with 2 to 3 transverse ridges (right angles to length of the seed).



  Arizona Cooperative Extension
Yavapai County
840 Rodeo Dr #C
Prescott, AZ 86305
(928) 445-6590
Version 8.0  
http://cales.arizona.edu/yavapaiplants/SpeciesDetailForb.php  
Last Updated: Dec 13, 2022
Content Questions/Comments: Email Matt Halldorson  
Legal Disclaimer