Scientific Family
Euphorbiaceae
Synonyms
Euphorbia albomarginata
Other common names
rattlesnake weed
Plant type
Forbs and Subshrubs
Origin
Native
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
Prostrate to 10 inches
Riparian
No
Forms a low mat with slender stems up to 10 inches long. Has many tiny white flower-like cups which contain many simple flowers.
Perennial of trailing stems. Leaves opposite, round to oblong, smooth margined, red dot in the center; membranous scale at base of the leaves. Fused bracts form a cup which surrounds many flowers. Glands in flower cup do not have petal-like appendages.
Habitat
Open areas in deserts, arid grassland, pinyon juniper woodlands and ponderosa forests.
Plant Community
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Montane Conifer Forest
Interior Chaparral
Grasslands
Disturbed Areas
Desert Scrub
Low elevation
1000
High elevation
7500
Flower Characteristics
Structures looking like individual flowers are fused white bracts that form a cup. Within the cup there is a ring of inconspicuous male flowers each having a single stamen. A single petal-less stalked female flower protrudes from the center.
Flower color
White, red
Flower shape
Regular
Tubular
No
First bloom month
April
Last bloom month
November
Flower clusters
None
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Up to 3/8 inch roundish leaves grow on slender stems up to 10 inches long, branching from a central point. The leaves are often edged in white. Stems have milky sap.
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf color
Green
Leaf shape
Round or oval
Leaf margin
Smooth
Leaves clasp
No
Leaf hairs
None
Spines
No
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Capsules are about 1/16 inch, smooth, 3-chambered; chambers are angled on the back.
Fruit type
Capsule
Seeds are up to 1/16 inch, oblong, 4-angled, oblong, smooth and whitish.