Euphorbia exigua L.

Dwarf spurge (en), Euphorbe fluette (fr), Euphorbe exiguë (fr)

Species

Angiosperms > Malpighiales > Euphorbiaceae > Euphorbia

Characteristics

Herbs, annual, with taproot. Stems erect, unbranched or branched, 3–30 cm, glabrous. Leaves: petiole 0–0.5 mm; blade linear, linear-oblong, or linear-spatulate, 2–30 × 1–5 mm, base cuneate or truncate, margins entire, apex acute, obtuse, or emarginate, surfaces glabrous; venation inconspicuous, only midvein prominent. Cyathial arrangement: terminal pleiochasial branches 3–5, each 1–3 times 2-branched; pleiochasial bracts similar in shape and size to or sometimes slightly longer and wider than distal leaves; dichasial bracts distinct, linear, or linear-lanceolate, or lanceolate-ovate, base rounded to subcordate, margins entire, apex acute; axillary cymose branches 0–5. Cyathia: peduncle 0–2 mm. Involucre cupulate, 0.3–0.5 × 0.6–0.8 mm, glabrous; glands 4, elliptic to crescent-shaped, 0.2–0.4 × 0.3–0.6 mm; horns divergent, 0.2–0.5 mm. Staminate flowers 5–8. Pistillate flowers: ovary glabrous; styles 0.5–0.7 mm, 2-fid. Capsules subglobose, 1–1.8 × 1.3–2 mm, slightly lobed; cocci rounded, smooth, puncticulate toward abaxial line, glabrous; columella 1.1–1.4 mm. Seeds blackish to grayish, 4-angled-ovoid, 1–1.5 × 0.5–0.7 mm, white, tuberculate; caruncle conic or subconic, 0.1–0.3 × 0.1–0.3 mm.
More
Glabrous, erect annual. Stems up to 35 cm high, branched or not at base. Lvs alternate, exstipulate, sessile, entire, linear, obtuse at base, acute, 5-25 mm long. Terminal umbel 2-5-rayed, with often a few axillary rays arising below; lvs subtending rays similar to stem lvs but somewhat broader toward base; rays forming compound dichasia; lvs subtending cyathia triangular-lanceolate, acute, becoming ovate-triangular and cordate towards top of infl. Glands elliptic-oblong; horns long, slender. Capsule smooth, grooved, slightly ridged on keels. Seeds tuberculate or rugulose, 4-angled, grey-brown, c. 1.2 mm long.
Annual, 1–3 dm, often branched from the base; cauline lvs linear or linear-oblong, 1–2.5 cm, sessile, those subtending the umbel narrowly lanceolate, truncate or subcordate at base, those of the umbel similar but progressively smaller; rays of the umbel 3–5; seeds gray, 1–1.5 mm, finely and rather sharply tuberculate; 2n=16, 24. Native of Europe and w. Asia, sporadically intr. and established from e. Can. to W.Va. and O. Summer.
A small annual herb.
Life form annual
Growth form herb
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention deciduous
Sexuality monoecy
Pollination entomogamy
Spread myrmecochory
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 0.05 - 0.2
Root system tap-root
Rooting depth (meter) 0.05
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color -
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

It is a temperate plant. Tasmania Herbarium.
Light -
Soil humidity -
Soil texture 1-2
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 5-10

Usage

Caution: All Euphorbias or spurges have irritating sap and many have chemicals that can cause cancer.
Uses environmental use medicinal
Edible -
Therapeutic use -
Human toxicity toxic (seed)
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Mode -
Germination duration (days) 10 - 15
Germination temperacture (C°) 21 - 26
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment soaking
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Habit

Euphorbia exigua habit picture by Patrick Liouville (cc-by-sa)
Euphorbia exigua habit picture by Stéphane Mars (cc-by-sa)
Euphorbia exigua habit picture by Tom Schöning (cc-by-sa)

Leaf

Euphorbia exigua leaf picture by Annette Bejany (cc-by-sa)
Euphorbia exigua leaf picture by Nicolas Koehnlein (cc-by-sa)
Euphorbia exigua leaf picture by Karel Pohanka (cc-by-sa)

Flower

Euphorbia exigua flower picture by Annette Bejany (cc-by-sa)
Euphorbia exigua flower picture by Christine Vaufrey (cc-by-sa)
Euphorbia exigua flower picture by Hugo Dumonteil (cc-by-sa)

Fruit

Euphorbia exigua fruit picture by Genghis Attenborough (cc-by-sa)
Euphorbia exigua fruit picture by jacques maréchal (cc-by-sa)
Euphorbia exigua fruit picture by jacques maréchal (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Euphorbia exigua world distribution map, present in Albania, Austria, Bulgaria, Belarus, Canada, Switzerland, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Germany, Algeria, Egypt, Spain, France, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Italy, Libya, Morocco, Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, Palau, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Turks and Caicos Islands, Ukraine, and United States of America

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:346469-1
WFO ID wfo-0000962021
COL ID 3CNSC
BDTFX ID 75123
INPN ID 97511
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR) Link

Synonyms

Keraselma exiguum Tithymalus exiguus Euphorbia retusa Euphorbia pycnophylla Esula exigua Euphorbia melillensis Euphorbia exigua var. acuta Euphorbia exigua var. melillensis Euphorbia exigua var. retusa Euphorbia exigua var. tricuspidata Euphorbia exigua var. truncata Euphorbia exigua

Lower taxons

Euphorbia exigua subsp. exigua