Scientific Family
Euphorbiaceae
Synonyms
Euphorbia parryi
Other common names
Parry's spurge
Plant type
Forbs and Subshrubs
Origin
Native
Lifecycle
Annual
Similar species
Euphorbia missurica
Height
2 inches to 2-1/2 feet
Riparian
No
Smooth annual from a taproot; stems usually lying along the ground, rarely ascending-erect; branched from the base; milky sap.
Annual; leggy, spreading growth; leaves narrow, smooth margined, <1-1/4 inches long, 3 times as long as wide, base mostly symmetrical; flower clusters (cyathia) with narrow green to white petal-like appendages, 40 to 55 male flowers; capsules hairless.
Habitat
Found mostly in sandy soil; sand dunes or other sandy habitats.
Plant Community
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Interior Chaparral
Grasslands
Desert Scrub
Low elevation
1500
High elevation
6000
Flower Characteristics
Flower clusters of cup-like structures enclose a single stalked female, 40 to 55 male flowers (cyathia), solitary or multiple in leaf axils near branch tips; glands greenish-yellow, oval; narrow white or greenish petal-like appendages.
Flower color
Green, white, greenish-yellow
Flower shape
Regular
Tubular
No
First bloom month
May
Last bloom month
September
Flower clusters
Rounded
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Opposite along the stems; blades narrow, usually 1/4 to 1 inch long and 1/8 inch wide; stipules (small appendages at the base of leaves) distinct, narrow, smooth or lobed; conspicuous mid-vein; tapered to a sharp tip. Stems and leaves have milky sap.
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf color
Green
Leaf shape
Narrow
Leaf margin
Smooth
Leaves clasp
No
Leaf hairs
None
Spines
No
Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Capsules smooth, 1/16 inch long, with rounded lobes.
Fruit type
Capsule
Fruit color
Green
Seeds 1/16 inch long; mottled brown and white; oval-shaped; 3-angled; smooth.