Common name: Petty Spurge, Radium Plant
Euphorbia peplus L. APNI*
Description: Erect or ascending annual to c. 40 cm high, glabrous, often with a main stem and 2 or more stems from the base.
Fertile branches usually 3 at the top of each stem and in upper axils, each branch dichotomously divided 3–5 times.
Stem leaves alternate, lamina obovate, mostly 10–15 mm long, petiole to 8 mm long. Leaves of fertile branches opposite, those towards base similar to main stem leaves, those towards top ovate or triangular to rhombic, shortly petiolate. Cyathia solitary; involucre c. 1 mm long; glands with 2 horns.
Capsule c. 2 mm long, 2 mm diam., ± smooth; seeds c. 1.2 mm long, reddish orange with a whitish bloom, carunculate.
Flowering: most of the year.
Distribution and occurrence: Common weed in moist disturbed places, especially gardens.
NSW subdivisions: *NC, *CC, *SC, *CT, *ST, *NWS, *CWS, *NWP, *SWP, *LHI
Other Australian states: *Vic. *Tas. *W.A. *S.A. *N.T.
Text by T. A. James & G. J. Harden Taxon concept: Flora of NSW 1 (1990)
APNI* Provides a link to the Australian Plant Name Index (hosted by the Australian National Botanic Gardens) for comprehensive bibliographic data ***The AVH map option provides a detailed interactive Australia wide distribution map drawn from collections held by all major Australian herbaria participating in the Australian Virtual Herbarium project.
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