Prostrate Spurge, Euphorbia prostrata
Family: Euphorbiaceae, Spurge Family
Vegetative Characteristics:
Seedling: cotyledon and hypocotyl glabrous, red
Stems: prostrate, 10.0-50.0 cm long, highly branched, pubescent, rooting at nodes, milky sap
Leaves: opposite, 5.0-15.0 mm long, 2.0-8.0 mm wide, simple, oblong to oblong-ovate, variable in size, margins entire or irregularly and minutely toothed, milky sap; petiole short
Reproductive Characteristics:
Inflorescences: cyanthium, 1 or 2 per leaf axil; male and female flowers separate; male flowers 2-5 per cyanthium; female flowers with 3 styles, 0.5-0.7 mm long, bifid their length
Fruits: capsule, 1.4 mm long, ovate in outline, pubescent, trichomes appressed
Seeds: irregularly quadrangular, 1.0 mm long, pale brown to reddish silvery, faces papillose, wrinkled, surface not ridged
Special Identifying Features:
⇒ Prostrate, highly branched annual; stem and leaves with milky sap; stems and capsule pubescent; stems rooting at nodes; fruiting styles 3, as long as capsule; seed wrinkled, angled, not ridged
