Common name: Red Caustic Weed
Euphorbia prostrata Aiton APNI* Synonyms: Chamaesyce prostrata (Aiton) Small APNI*
Description: Prostrate annual herb, stems several, to c. 20 cm long, forming dense mats, sparsely hairy.
Leaves oblong to obovate, 3–8 mm long, 1–5 mm wide, finely toothed towards the apex, base asymmetric; stipules triangular, c. 1 mm long.
Cyathia with ovate, red glands and inconspicuous white to pink, narrow appendages c. 0.2 mm wide.
Capsule c. 1.3 mm long, 1.2 mm diam., angles ciliate; seeds c. 1 mm long, pale brown, often with a whitish bloom, 4-angled.
Flowering: mainly summer.
Distribution and occurrence: Often in cracks of paths and in gardens, stems and leaves reddish when fresh. Native of trop. Amer.
NSW subdivisions: *NC, *CC, *NWS, *NWP, *LHI
Other Australian states: *Qld *N.T. *W.A.
Text by T.A. James & G.J. Harden, as Chamaesyce prostrata in Flora of NSW 1 (1990)
Taxon concept: Halford, D.A. & Harris, W.K. (2012), A taxonomic revision of Euphorbia section Anisophyllum Roeper (Euphorbiaceae) in Australia. Austrobaileya 8(4): 548-550; accepted by APC (accessed January 2017)
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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