Matted Sandmat
Euphorbia serpens Kunth
Matted Sandmat: https://mail.marylandbiodiversity.org/species/23792
Synonyms
Tags
MPA Under Review Nativity Uncertain

Map Snapshot

8 Records

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Status

This species was not included on the checklist of vascular plants of Maryland (Knapp & Naczi, 2021) but appears to be established in Maryland. According to the Flora of North America, the species is likely native to North America but it has spread so widely that its native range is uncertain.

Description

Matted Sandmat is a low-growing, often matting, plant with round, opposite leaves. The stem and leaves are glabrous and the leaves are entire (no teeth on the margins). It appears to only have two stipules at each node (instead of four) because the stipules are united into a triangular structure.

There are many species of Euphorbia with the same general growth form and leaf shape so careful observation of the leaves and stipules (at the nodes) should be made. You may need a handlens and dichotomous key to confirm the identity.

Where To Find

Matted Sandmat prefers sandy soils. In Maryland, it has been reported from several counties in the Coastal Plain.

Resources

View at iNaturalist Search Google Images Search MBP Facebook posts
View at Maryland Plant Atlas Search Flora of North America Search Mid-Atlantic Herbaria Consortium Search Norton-Brown Herbarium Search MNPS Facebook posts

Citations

No citations linked for this taxon yet.

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Source: Wikipedia

Euphorbia serpens
Secure
Secure (NatureServe)[1]
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Malpighiales
Family: Euphorbiaceae
Genus: Euphorbia
Species:
E. serpens
Binomial name
Euphorbia serpens
Synonyms

Chamaesyce serpens

Euphorbia serpens is a species of Euphorbia known by the common name matted sandmat. It is native to the Americas but it can be found on most continents as an introduced species and often a weed.[2]

Description

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This is an annual herb forming a mat of prostrate stems which root at nodes where the stem comes in contact with the ground. The oval leaves occur in oppositely arranged pairs, each leaf less than a centimeter long. The inflorescence is a cyathium with scalloped white petal-like appendages surrounding the actual flowers. A red nectar gland is at the base of each appendage, and at the center of the cyathium are several male flowers around one female flower. The fruit is a lobed, spherical capsule.

Flowers
Macro view of a single flower
Macro view of a single fruit

References

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  1. ^ NatureServe (2024). "Euphorbia serpens". Arlington, Virginia. Retrieved 10 April 2024.
  2. ^ Flora of Zimbabwe
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