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- Euphorbia vermiculata
Euphorbia vermiculata — hairy sandmat
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Facts
A small prostrate plant with an unprepossessing common name, hairy sandmat is a native of roadsides, sandy fields and waste areas. It's stems are hairy with hairs up to 1.5 mm long.
Habitat
Anthropogenic (man-made or disturbed habitats), meadows and fields
New England distribution
Adapted from BONAP data
Native: indigenous.
Non-native: introduced (intentionally or unintentionally); has become naturalized.
County documented: documented to exist in the county by evidence (herbarium specimen, photograph). Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
State documented: documented to exist in the state, but not documented to a county within the state. Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
Note: when native and non-native populations both exist in a county, only native status is shown on the map.
Found this plant? Take a photo and post a sighting.
Characteristics
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Flower petal color
- NA
- Leaf type
- the leaves are simple (i.e., lobed or unlobed but not separated into leaflets)
- Leaf arrangement
- opposite: there are two leaves per node along the stem
- Leaf blade edges
- the edge of the leaf blade has teeth
- Flower symmetry
-
- NA
- there are two or more ways to evenly divide the flower (the flower is radially symmetrical)
- Number of sepals, petals or tepals
- there are no petals, sepals, or tepals in the flower, or they are not clearly present
- Fusion of sepals and petals
- NA
- Stamen number
- 1 or 2
- Fruit type (general)
-
- the fruit is dry and splits open when ripe
- the fruit is dry but does not split open when ripe
- Fruit length
- 1.5–2 mm
-
Clonal plantlets
- Bulbils
- the plant does not appear to have bulbils
- Bulblets replace flowers
- there are no bulblets where the flowers are located
-
Flowers
- Anther opening
- the anthers have narrow slits or furrows that run lengthwise along the anthers
- Anther spurs
- the anthers do not have spurs on them
- Calyx growth after flowering
- NA
- Calyx symmetry
- NA
- Carpel hairs
- the carpels have no hairs
- Carpels fused
- the carpels are fused to one another
- Cilia on petals
- NA
- Cleistogamous flowers
- there are no cleistogamous flowers on the plan
- Corolla morphology
- NA
- Corolla palate
- NA
- Corona lobe length
- 0 mm
- Epicalyx
- NA
- Epicalyx number of parts
- 0
- Filament surface
- the filament is smooth, with no hairs or scales
- Flower description
- the flower has a superior ovary, and lacks a hypanthium
- Flower number
- At least 3
- Flower petal color
- NA
- Flower reproductive parts
- the flower has either only pollen- or only seed-producing parts
- Flower symmetry
-
- NA
- there are two or more ways to evenly divide the flower (the flower is radially symmetrical)
- Flowers sunken into stem
- no
- Form of style
- the style is branched above the base
- Fringed petal edges
- NA
- Fused stamen clusters
- NA
- Fusion of sepals and petals
- NA
- Hairs on inflorescence
- at least some of the hairs on the axis of the inflorescence have glands
- Horns in hoods (Asclepias)
- NA
- Hypanthium
- the flower does not have a hypanthium
- Hypanthium length
- 0 mm
- Inflorescence one-sided
- the flowers are arrayed in a spiral around the inflorescence axis or branches, or occur singly, or in several ranks
- Inner tepals (Rumex)
- NA
- Interior flower disk
- the flower has an interior disc
- Marks on petals
- NA
- Nectar spur
- the flower has no nectar spurs
- Number of carpels
- 3
- Number of pistils
- 1
- Number of sepals, petals or tepals
- there are no petals, sepals, or tepals in the flower, or they are not clearly present
- Number of styles
- 3
- Ovary position
- the ovary is above the point of petal and/or sepal attachment
- Perianth shape
- NA
- Petal and sepal arrangement
- the flower includes neither petals nor sepals
- Petal and sepal colors
- NA
- Petal appearance
- NA
- Petal base
- NA
- Petal folds or pleats
- NA
- Petal glandular dots or scales
- NA
- Petal hairs (Viola)
- NA
- Petal hairs on inner/upper surface
- NA
- Petal length
- 0 mm
- Petal length relative to sepals
- NA
- Petal nectaries
- NA
- Petal number
- 0
- Petal shape
- NA
- Petal tip shape
- NA
- Petal tips (Cuscuta)
- NA
- Petal width
- 0 mm
- Raceme attachment (Veronica)
- NA
- Reproductive system
- each flower has only carpels or only stamens, but both types of flower are present on each plant (monoecious)
- Scales inside corolla
- NA
- Sepal and petal color
- NA
- Sepal appearance
- NA
- Sepal appendages
- NA
- Sepal appendages (Oenothera)
- NA
- Sepal auricles
- NA
- Sepal cilia
- NA
- Sepal color
- NA
- Sepal features
- NA
- Sepal length
- 0 mm
- Sepal number
- 0
- Sepal orientation
- NA
- Sepal relative length
- NA
- Sepal shape
- NA
- Sepal texture
- NA
- Sepal tip shape
- NA
- Sepal uniformity
- NA
- Sepals fused only to sepals
- NA
- Stamen number
- 1 or 2
- Stamens fused
- the stamens are not attached to one another
- Staminodes
- there are no staminodes on the flower
- Style petal-like
- the styles are not petal-like
- Umbel flower reproductive parts
- NA
- Upper lip of bilabiate corolla
- NA
-
Fruits or seeds
- Achene relative orientation
- NA
- Achene shape
- NA
- Achene surface (Polygonum)
- NA
- Achene type
- NA
- Berry color
- NA
- Capsule color (Viola)
- NA
- Capsule ribs
-
- NA
- the capsule has no prominent ribs or wings
- Capsule splitting
-
- NA
- the capsule splits by three main valves, teeth or pores
- Carpel beak length
- 0 mm
- Fruit (pyxis) dehiscence
- NA
- Fruit beak length
- 0 mm
- Fruit features (Brassicaceae)
- NA
- Fruit length
- 1.5–2 mm
- Fruit locules
- three
- Fruit type (general)
-
- the fruit is dry and splits open when ripe
- the fruit is dry but does not split open when ripe
- Fruit type (specific)
- the fruit is a capsule (splits along two or more seams, apical teeth or pores when dry, to release two or more seeds)
- Hair type on fruit
- NA
- Hairs on fruit
- the fruits are not hairy
- Legumes (Fabaceae)
- NA
- Mericarp length
- 1.5–2 mm
- Mericarp segment shape (Desmodium)
- NA
- Other markings on berry
- NA
- Ovary stipe
- the ovary or fruit does not have a stipe
- Placenta arrangement
- the plant has axile placentation, in which the ovules are attached where the septa of a compound ovary are united, usually on the central axis, or to the septa themselves
- Rows of seeds in fruit (Brassicaceae)
- NA
- Schizocarpic fruit compression
- the fruit is not flattened
- Schizocarpic fruit segments
- 0–3
- Seed length
- 0.9–1.6 mm
- Seed number
- 3
- Seed relative length
- the seed is longer than it is wide
- Septum in fruit (Brassicaceae)
- NA
- Wings on fruit
- the fruit does not have wings on it
- prickles on fruits
- the fruits do not have thorn-like defensive structures
-
Glands or sap
- Glands on leaf blade
- the leaf blades do not have glandular dots or scales
- Sap
- the sap is milky and opaque, and may be white or colored
- Sap color
- the sap is white
-
Growth form
- Growth form
- the plant is an herb (it has self-supporting stems)
- Lifespan
- the plant lives only a single year or less
- Parasitism
- the plant is not parasitic
- Plant color
- the leaves or young stems of the plant are green
- Plants darken when dry
- no
- Spines on plant
- the plant has no spines
- Underground organs
- there is a thickened taproot on the plant
-
Leaves
- Bracteole number (Apiaceae)
- 0
- Bracteoles
- the plant has bracteoles between the primary bracts and the flowers
- Bracts in plantain (Plantago)
- NA
- Final leaf segment length (compound lvs only)
- 0 mm
- Final leaf segment length to width ratio (compound lvs only)
- 0
- Final leaf segment width (compound lvs only)
- 0 mm
- Floral bracts
- the flower has one or more bracts associated with it
- Hairs on underside of leaf
- the underside of the leaf is fuzzy or hairy
- Hairs on upper side of leaf
- the upper side of the leaf is fuzzy or hairy
- Hooked hairs on underside of leaf
- no
- Inflated hairs on leaf
- the leaf blade does not have inflated hairs on it
- Leaf arrangement
- opposite: there are two leaves per node along the stem
- Leaf blade base symmetry
- the leaf blade base is asymmetrical
- Leaf blade bloom
- the underside of the leaf has no noticeable bloom
- Leaf blade edges
- the edge of the leaf blade has teeth
- Leaf blade flatness
- the leaf is flat (planar) at the edges
- Leaf blade hairs
- the leaf blade has simple hairs with no glands, and not tangled or wooly
- Leaf blade length
- 5–20 mm
- Leaf blade primary vein pattern
- the secondary veins branch off at intervals from the primary vein
- Leaf blade shape
-
- the leaf blade is oblong (rectangular but with rounded ends)
- the leaf blade is ovate (widest below the middle and broadly tapering at both ends)
- Leaf blade surface colors
- the upper side of the leaf blade is relatively uniform in color
- Leaf blade veins
- the leaf blade has one main vein running from the base towards the tip (it may or may not have secondary veins)
- Leaf duration
- the leaves drop off in winter (or they whither but persist on the plant)
- Leaf form
- the leaves are green, with an expanded blade and a leaf-like texture
- Leaf shiny
- the upper side of the leaf is dull or slightly shiny
- Leaf spines
- there are no spines on the leaf edges
- Leaf stalk
- the leaves have leaf stalks
- Leaf stalk attachment to leaf
- the petiole attaches at the basal margin of the leaf blade
- Leaf stalk base
- the petiole base is narrow where it attaches to the stem
- Leaf teeth and lobes
- the leaf blade margin has forward-pointing teeth
- Leaf type
- the leaves are simple (i.e., lobed or unlobed but not separated into leaflets)
- Leaf types
- NA
- Leaf variation
- the leaves are nearly similar in size, prominence of teeth, and length of stalks throughout the stem
- Leaflet number
- 0
- Leaflet petiolules
- NA
- Leaves per node
- there are two leaves per node along the stem
- Pinnately compound leaf type
- NA
- Specific leaf type
- the leaves are simple (i.e., lobed or unlobed but not separated into leaflets)
- Stipels
- NA
- Stipule features
- NA
- Stipules
- the plant has stipules
-
Place
- Habitat
- terrestrial
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Specific habitat
-
- man-made or disturbed habitats
- meadows or fields
-
Stem, shoot, branch
- Branched tendrils
- NA
- Direction of stem hairs
- the hairs point mostly upwards to outwards
- Flowering stem cross-section
- the flowering stem is circular, or with lots of small angles so that it is roughly circular
- Hair between stem nodes
- the stem has hairs between the nodes
- Hairs between stem nodes
- the hairs on the stem are plain, without glands or branches, and not tangled
- Hooked hairs on stem between nodes
- no
- Leaves on stem
- there is at least one full leaf above the base of the flowering stem
- Length of hairs between stem nodes
- 0.5–1.5 mm
- Plant height
- Up to 40 cm
- Stem hair distribution
- the hairs on the stem are distributed more of less uniformly
- Stem orientation
-
- the stems are upright or angled outwards
- the stems trail at the base, but may turn upwards at the tips
- Stem roughness between nodes
- the stem does not feel rough
- Tendril origin
- NA
- Tendrils
- the plant does not have tendrils
- Wings on stem
- the stem does not have wings on it
Wetland status
Not classified
In New England
Distribution
- Connecticut
- present
- Maine
- present
- Massachusetts
- present
- New Hampshire
- present
- Rhode Island
- present
- Vermont
- present
Conservation status
Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.
- Massachusetts
- fairly widespread (S-rank: S4)
From Flora Novae Angliae dichotomous key
18. Euphorbia vermiculata Raf. N
hairy sandmat. Chamaesyce rafinesquei (Greene) Arthur; C. vermiculata (Raf.) House • CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT. Roadsides, railroads, sandy fields, waste areas.
Native to North America?
Yes and no (some introduced)
Sometimes confused with
- Euphorbia maculata:
- ovary and capsule with hairs, leaf blades usually with red spots or blotches (vs. E. vermiculata, with the ovary and capsule without hairs, leaf blades green or tinged with red).
- Euphorbia prostrata:
- ovary and capsule pubescent and seeds with 3 or 4 prominent transverse ridges on each face (vs. E. vermiculata, with ovary and capsule glabrous and seeds with inconspicuous transverse ridges on each face).
Synonyms
- Chamaesyce rafinesquei (Greene) Arthur
- Chamaesyce vermiculata (Raf.) House