Euphorbia fendleri

Torrey & A. Gray in War Department [U.S.]

Pacif. Railr. Rep. 2(4): 175. 1857.

Common names: Fendler’s sandmat
Synonyms: Chamaesyce fendleri (Torrey & A. Gray) Small
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 12. Treatment on page 267. Mentioned on page 239, 251, 257, 263, 270, 282.

Herbs, perennial, with woody, thickened taproot. Stems usually prostrate, decumbent, or ascending, very rarely erect, often densely clustered from top of woody crown, 5–12 cm, glabrous. Leaves usually opposite, rarely whorled; stipules distinct, narrowly linear, 0.5–1 mm, glabrous; petiole 0.5–1 mm, glabrous; blade usually orbiculate to ovate, rarely almost lanceolate, 3–8 × 2.5–7 mm, base slightly asymmetric, slightly cordate to rounded or obtuse, margins entire, apex rounded to obtuse, surfaces glabrous; obscurely 3–5-veined from base, only midvein conspicuous. Cyathia solitary at distal nodes; peduncle 0.7–1.2 mm. Involucre campanulate to turbinate or broadly cupulate, 1.1–1.7 × 1.2–1.8 mm, glabrous; glands 4, yellow-green to reddish, elliptic to oblong, 0.2–0.5 × 0.4–0.9 mm; appendages absent or white, rarely pink, often unequal, lunate to flabellate or sometimes forming crenate margin along gland, (0–) 0.1–0.6 × (0–) 0.5–1.5 mm, distal margin entire or toothed. Staminate flowers 25–35. Pistillate flowers: ovary glabrous; styles 0.3–0.4 mm, 2-fid 1/2 length. Capsules depressed-globose, 2–2.4 × 2.2–2.5 mm, glabrous; columella 1.7–2.1 mm. Seeds white, ovoid-pyramidal, prominently 4-angled in cross-section, 1.7–2 × 1–1.2 mm, smooth to slightly wrinkled. 2n = 28.


Phenology: Flowering and fruiting spring–fall.
Habitat: Mountain slopes, desert scrub, pinyon-juniper woodlands, hills, canyons, grasslands, washes, roadsides, dry crevices in limestone, often in gravel and sand.
Elevation: 500–2600 m.

Distribution

V12 117-distribution-map.jpg

Ariz., Calif., Colo., Kans., Nebr., Nev., N.Mex., Okla., S.Dak., Tex., Utah, Wyo., Mexico (Coahuila)

Discussion

Euphorbia fendleri is similar to E. chaetocalyx and may sometimes be confused with that species. Its prostrate to decumbent or ascending stems and small, ovate to orbiculate leaves distinguish it from E. chaetocalyx. Some authors have used the presence or absence and shape of the involucral gland appendages to help separate E. fendleri from E. chaetocalyx, but those characters appear highly variable and of little taxonomic utility; somewhat intermediate individuals occur in western Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"connate" is not a number. "distinct" is not a number."/2" is not declared as a valid unit of measurement for this property.

... more about "Euphorbia fendleri"
rounded;obtuse +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (0.01 cm0.1 mm <br />1.0e-4 m <br />) +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> (0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br />) +
0.01 cm0.1 mm <br />1.0e-4 m <br /> (0.06 cm0.6 mm <br />6.0e-4 m <br />) +
sometimes +, lunate +  and flabellate +
0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br /> (0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br />) +
Victor W. Steinmann +, Jeffery J. Morawetz +, Paul E. Berry +, Jess A. Peirson +  and Ya Yang +
Torrey & A. Gray in War Department [U.S.] +
pinnate +, symmetric +  and asymmetric +
slightly cordate +  and rounded or obtuse +
Anisophyllum +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> (0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br />) +
lanceolate;usually orbiculate;ovate +
0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br /> (0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br />) +
0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> (0.24 cm2.4 mm <br />0.0024 m <br />) +
depressed-globose +
0.22 cm2.2 mm <br />0.0022 m <br /> (0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br />) +
0.17 cm1.7 mm <br />0.0017 m <br /> (0.21 cm2.1 mm <br />0.0021 m <br />) +
Fendler’s sandmat +
toothed +  and entire +
Ariz. +, Calif. +, Colo. +, Kans. +, Nebr. +, Nev. +, N.Mex. +, Okla. +, S.Dak. +, Tex. +, Utah +, Wyo. +  and Mexico (Coahuila) +
500–2600 m. +
pistillate +  and staminate +
yellow-green +  and reddish +
0.2mm;0.5mm +
subtending +
elliptic +  and oblong +
0.4mm +  and 0.9mm +
Mountain slopes, desert scrub, pinyon-juniper woodlands, hills, canyons, grasslands, washes, roadsides, dry crevices in limestone, often in gravel and sand. +
axillary +  and terminal +
0.11 cm1.1 mm <br />0.0011 m <br /> (0.17 cm1.7 mm <br />0.0017 m <br />) +
campanulate +  and turbinate or broadly cupulate +
0.12 cm1.2 mm <br />0.0012 m <br /> (0.18 cm1.8 mm <br />0.0018 m <br />) +
whorled +  and opposite +
caducous +, deciduous +  and persistent +
bractlike +
palmate +  and pinnate +
0.07 cm0.7 mm <br />7.0e-4 m <br /> (0.12 cm1.2 mm <br />0.0012 m <br />) +
connate;distinct +
0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br /> (0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br />) +
Flowering and fruiting spring–fall. +
Pacif. Railr. Rep. +
0.17 cm1.7 mm <br />0.0017 m <br /> (0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br />) +
smooth +  and slightly wrinkled +
4-angled +  and ovoid-pyramidal +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.12 cm1.2 mm <br />0.0012 m <br />) +
free +, connate +  and distinct +
erect +, ascending +  and decumbent +
flattened +  and terete +
5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br /> (12 cm120 mm <br />0.12 m <br />) +
interpetiolar +
0.05 cm0.5 mm <br />5.0e-4 m <br /> (0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br />) +
connate +  and distinct +
0.03 cm0.3 mm <br />3.0e-4 m <br /> (?) +  and 0.04 cm0.4 mm <br />4.0e-4 m <br /> (?) +
Chamaesyce fendleri +
Euphorbia fendleri +
Euphorbia sect. Anisophyllum +
species +
axillary +  and terminal +
10 +, 9 +, 8 +, 7 +  and 6 +