Scientific Family
Euphorbiaceae
Synonyms
Euphorbia revoluta
Other common names
threadstem spurge
Plant type
Forbs and Subshrubs
Origin
Native
Lifecycle
Annual
Similar species
Chamaesyce sp.
Height
8 inches
Riparian
No
A wiry spurge. Erect but profusely branched throughout. Has milky sap. Stems are delicate and purplish.
Annual with no leaf or stem hairs; seed capsules sharply 3 angled; unsymmetrical linear leaves at the base of the plant.
Habitat
Found on rocky slopes.
Plant Community
Grasslands
Interior Chaparral
Montane Conifer Forest
Pinyon Juniper Woodlands
Low elevation
3000
High elevation
6000
Flower Characteristics
Has a rosette of bracts under a pistillate flower surrounded by 5 clusters of 5 to 10 staminate flowers. Has no petals. Sometimes has white petal-like appendages.
Flower color
White, red and yellowish-green
Flower shape
Regular
Tubular
No
First bloom month
August
Last bloom month
October
Flower clusters
Rounded
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Leaves are up to 1 inch long and less than 1/16 inch wide. Some of the leaf edges are turned under thus the name revoluta.
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 are about 1/16 inch long and sharply angled. Have sphere-like shape.
Fruit type
Capsule
Fruit color
White
Seeds are whitish and under 1/16 inch long.