Kingdom Plantae Family Euphorbiaceae Scientific name Euphorbia misera Rank Species | Order Malpighiales Genus Euphorbia Higher classification Spurges | |
Similar Spurges, Euphorbiaceae, Euphorbia decidua, Euphorbia cap‑saintemariensis, Dudleya lanceolata | ||
Euphorbia misera
Euphorbia misera, known by the common name cliff spurge, is a species of spurge in western North America.
Contents
Distribution
The plant is native to Southern California and Baja California.
It is found in the Colorado Desert of the Sonoran Desert ecoregion, the coastline, and the southern Channel Islands in California. It is in the Sonoran Desert and on the coastline in Baja California.
Description
Euphorbia misera is a shrub standing erect and reaching 0.5–1 metre (1.6–3.3 ft) in height. It has small, rounded, hairy leaves and inflorescences at the tips of the branches.
The distinctive flower is hairy and glandular and has a central nectar disc with a bright red appendage with scalloped edges and a light yellow fringe. The style in the pistillate flower extends outward and is divided at the tip. The anthers are bright yellow.
The fruit is a spherical capsule with lobes containing round, wrinkled gray seeds.
