Duration: Annual

Nativity: Native

Lifeform: Forb/Herb

General: Erect annual 10-65 cm tall, glabrous, stem branched from near base, slender branches green or faintly tinged red, internodes 1.5-5 cm or occasionally to 7 cm.

Leaves: Linear, 0.5-3 mm wide, 0.5-6 cm long, remotely serrulate, revolute in age, on petioles 1.5-2.5 mm long.

Flowers: Cyathia 1 to several at nodes, on peduncles 1-3 mm long, campanulate involucre 1.5-2 mm diameter, 2 mm high at anthesis, glabrous without, densely pubescent with straight white hairs around inner rim; lobes of cyathia triangular-acuminate, entire or toothed, about 0.3 mm high; discoid glands, 4 of them 0.5 mm, fifth filiform, nearly equaling lobes; appendages white or pink, obovate to elliptic 1-2.8 mm long.

Fruits: Capsule rounded-triangular in cross-section, oblate-globose 2.5 mm diameter, glabrous.

Ecology: On arid flats, washes, and hillsides from 2,000-5,000 ft (610-1524 m); flowers August-November.

Distribution: AZ; south to n MEX.

Notes: Distinguished by being erect, glabrous, erect annual 0.25 to 0.75m; the opposite, linear, serrate leaves; the showy, white to reddish petaloid appendages, much larger than other regional Euphorbia; and roundly to bluntly 3-lobed, glabrous fruits.

Ethnobotany: Unknown for this species, other species in genera have medicinal use.

Etymology: Euphorbia is named for Euphorbus, Greek physician of Juba II, King of Mauretania, florida means free-flowering or bright.

Synonyms: Euphorbia florida

Editor: SBuckley 2010, FSCoburn 2015

Plant: Erect annual forb to 20 cm; herbage with milky sap

Leaves: leaves opposite,inequilateral at base, linear, 3-5 cm long

Flowers: flowers monoecious borne in cyathia; petaloid appendages white aging pink, conspicuous; ovary and capsule glabrous, ~3mm long; seeds with 2(3) low transverse ridges.

Notes: Petaloid appendages large.Flowers borne on a cyanthia.

References: Kearney & Peebles; Arizona Flora. ASU specimans