Duration: Perennial

Nativity: Native

Lifeform: Forb/Herb

General: Herbaceous annuals, to 35 cm tall, stems several, ascending to erect, herbage pubescent, plants with a heavy root crown.

Leaves: Alternate, sessile, cauline oblong to suborbicular, 5-20 mm long, tips obtuse and abruptly pointed, margins entire, those subtending the umbel whorled and mostly wider than long.

Flowers: Staminate and pistillate; whitish, involucres to 3 mm long, with rounded, entire, ciliate lobes, the glands crenate and slightly 2-horned.

Fruits: Ovoid capsules, to 4 mm long. Seeds ashy, 2.5 mm long, with a brown caruncle (small appendage at the tip) which is easily removed.

Ecology: Found from 4,000-8,000 ft (1219-2438 m); flowering April-June.

Distribution: Arizona, California, Utah.

Notes: McDougall notes the major identifying trait of the var. subpubens is that the plants are pubescent, and has about the same range as the species, probably intergrading with it.

Etymology: Euphorbia is named for Euphorbus, Greek physician of Juba II, King of Mauretania, palmeri is named after self-taught botanist, professional plant collector and amateur zoologist, archaeologist and ethnologist Edward Palmer (1829/1830--1911), and subpubens likely means somewhat pubescent or downy.

Synonyms: None

Editor: LCrumbacher2012

Plant: Perennial; Stem ascending to erect, 1-3.5 dm, glabrous

Leaves: cauline, generally alternate, 0.5-2 cm, petioled to sessile; blade obovate to ovate, glabrous, tip obtuse to rounded, margin entire

INFLORESCENCE: involucre < 3 mm, obconic, glabrous; gland < 1.5 mm, oblong, margin entire to scalloped, shortly 2-horned

Flowers: Staminate flowers < 20, generally in 5 clusters around pistillate flower; Pistillate flower: 1, central, stalked; ovary chambers 3, ovule 1 per chamber, styles 3, divided < 1/2 length

Fruit: capsule, ± 4 mm, ovoid, round, glabrous; Seed ± 2.5 mm, oblong, round, gray; surface net-like

Misc: Dry slopes, flats; 1300-2800 m.