Family: Euphorbiaceae
Euphorbia falcata
Citation:
L., Sp. PL 456 (1753).
Synonymy: Not Applicable Common name: Sickle-leaved spurge, sickle spurge.
Description:
Glabrous glaucous annual, rarely biennial; stems up to 40cm, simple or with 2 or 3 rarely to 7 branches from the base with many (to 16) axillary rays distally which repeatedly fork up to 2-5 times into rays or raylets; cauline leaves sessile, obovate or spathulate to linear-oblong, 5-30 x 3-5 mm, cuneate, acuminate or truncate, entire, central nerve prominent on lower face and ending in a mucro; ray leaves like the cauline; raylet leaves asymmetrically suborbicular or broadly elliptic-ovate, 1-10 rarely 20 mm long and 1-10 mm wide, acuminate to aristate, subentire, green, tinged red all over or on the margins only.
Cyathia single, axillary or 1 or 2 terminal, on short peduncles to 0.5 mm long; involucre campanulate, to 1 mm long and wide, green-yellow; glands lunate, c. 0.5 mm long, with 2 short mucro-like horns; styles shortly divided into 2 clavate tips, rotate.
Capsule ovoid, 3-lobed, 1.5-2 x 1-1.25, shallowly furrowed lengthwise but otherwise smooth; seed flattened-ovoid-quadrangular, c. 1.2 x 0.8 mm, with 3 distinct white ribs and a fourth rib replaced by a groove, pale-grey or brown, furrowed transversely with white ribs; acarunculate.
| Euphorbia falcata twig, cyathium, fruit and seed.
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Image source: fig 401g in Jessop J.P. & Toelken H.R. (Ed.) 1986. Flora of South Australia (4th edn).
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Published illustration:
Fiori & Paoletti (1901) Iconographiae florae Italicae, fig. 2596; Hegl (1924) Illustrierte Flora von Mittel-Europa 5, 1:fig. 1795.
Distribution:
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S.Aust.: YP, SL. N.S.W. Native to Europe; now widespread as a weed and ruderal plant throughout the world.
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Conservation status:
naturalised
Flowering time: June — Dec.
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SA Distribution Map based
on current data relating to
specimens held in the
State Herbarium of South Australia
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Biology:
No text
Author:
Not yet available
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