Synonyms: Euphorbia lurida, Euphorbia montana, Euphorbia odontadenia, Euphorbia robusta, Tithymalus brachycera, Tithymalus montanus Plant Form: Forb or Subshrub
Origin:
Native
Life Cycle:
Perennial
General Desc:
Grows in a tangled mass up to several feet wide and over a foot tall in a moist area or spindly and solitary in dry conditions. Identification notes: A herbaceous plant arising from a woody base with green ovate to spatculate to elliptic leaves with smooth edges that are not thickened or spirally arranged. Height:
To 12 inches Habitat
Habitat Description: Semi-desert, foothills, canyons, chaparral, moist sandy areas to dry Pinyon-Juniper forests to Ponderosa and low conifer forests. Plant Communities:
Desert Scrub, Interior Chaparral, Semidesert Grasslands, Pinyon Juniper Woodland, Montane Conifer Forest, Riparian, Disturbed Areas Elevation: 2500 - 8000 feet Flower Characteristics
Color:
Yellow to orange
Shape:
Other in clusters
Tubular:
N
Flowering Period:
Apr - Sep Description:
What appears to be a flower is instead a cyathium, a cup-like structure that houses a central pistillate flower surrounded by several staminate flowers. The yellow horned structures are not true petals but merely extensions of the cyathium.
Leaf and Stem Characteristics
Leaf Color:
Green with reddish margins
Leaf Type:
Simple
Leaf Shape:
Narrow
Leaf Margin:
Smooth
Leaf Attachment:
Alternate
Leaves Clasp:
N Hairs:
No
Spines:
N
Leaf Description:
Leaves have no stalks and attach directly to the main stem. Fruit and Seed Characteristics
Fruit Type: Capsule Fruit Notes: Nodding 3-celled and 3-seeded capsule.
Arizona Cooperative Extension
Yavapai County
840 Rodeo Dr #C
Prescott, AZ 86305
(928) 445-6590