Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Rosids: Fabids: Malpighiales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Euphorbia cyathophora
FAMILY
Euphorbiaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
The species is virtually unmistakable with its flaming red (at least partially) leafy bracts at the inflorescence. Read more at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Euphorbia cyathophora
FAMILY
Euphorbiaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 12 (2016)
Euphorbia cyathophora
INCLUDING VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 107-11-002:
Euphorbia heterophylla var. graminifolia FAMILY Euphorbiaceae
INCLUDING (MISAPPLIED) Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968)
Euphorbia heterophylla var. heterophylla
INCLUDING Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Poinsettia cyathophora
INCLUDING (MISAPPLIED) Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Poinsettia heterophylla
COMMON NAME:
Wild Poinsettia, Painted Leaf, Fire-on-the-mountain
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
Caleb Forrest caf_6769
August Greenville County SC
Flowers have no petals or sepals. Upper lvs reddish (or white) at the base, per Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005).
)
Caleb Forrest caf_6770
August Greenville County SC
)
Caleb Forrest caf_6771
August Greenville County SC
Leaves variable: Entire, serrate or lobed; linear, broadly oblong to ovate, per Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005).
)
Caleb Forrest caf_6773
August Greenville County SC
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_e_cyathophora_4
September
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Euphorbia cyathophora
FAMILY
Euphorbiaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Euphorbia cyathophora
FAMILY
Euphorbiaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 12
Euphorbia cyathophora
INCLUDING
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 107-11-002:
Euphorbia heterophylla var. graminifolia
FAMILY
Euphorbiaceae
INCLUDING (MISAPPLIED)
Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968)
Euphorbia heterophylla var. heterophylla
INCLUDING
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Poinsettia cyathophora
INCLUDING (MISAPPLIED)
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Poinsettia heterophylla
2862
Forb
Annual/Perennial
Monoecious
Habitat: Bottomland forests, dunes, streambanks, disturbed habitats, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia - the original range obscure
Uncommon in GA-NC-SC Coastal Plain (where presumed to be native); mostly rare northwards (where presumed to be introduced)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
DOES THE PLANT HAVE "MILKY SAP"?
Has milky sap (latex)
LEAVES:
Simple
Mostly alternate
FLOWER:
Spring/Summer/Fall
Bracteal leaves red or green at base
Cyathium with 1 two-lipped gland, without petaloid appendages
Unisexual
FRUIT:
Spring/Summer/Fall
Capsule
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Wildflowers of the Eastern United States (Duncan & Duncan, 1999) p047
- Wild Flowers of NC, 2nd edition (Justice, Bell, & Lindsey, 2005) p138
- Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005) p159
- Wildflowers of Tennessee, the Ohio Valley, and the Southern Appalachians (Horn, Cathcart, Hemmerly, & Duhl, 2005) p195
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".