Euphorbia abramsiana
Abrams' spurge, Abrams' Spurge
(c) Bobby McCabe, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Euphorbiaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Conservation status: CNPS 2B.2
Euphorbia abramsiana (Abrams' spurge) is a native California herb in the Euphorbiaceae family, recognized by in DSon; distinguished by prostrate habit and clustered cyathia.
Abrams' spurge is a rare (CNPS 2B.2) California native annual found in the southern desert region in sandy flats at elevations below 200 meters. Flowering from September to November, this plant produces small white petal-like appendages surrounding dense clusters of tiny cyathia. Growing with prostrate stems that repeatedly fork and spread in a two-faced pattern, it reaches approximately 10 to 15 centimeters across. Its opposite leaves are small, 2 to 12 millimeters long, ovate to elliptic-oblong, with asymmetric bases and occasionally finely toothed edges. The fruit is a small, rounded oblong capsule about 1.5 to 2 millimeters long, producing white, four-angled seeds.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 18 sympatric species in DSon; distinguished by prostrate habit and clustered cyathia
Habitat and range
Habitat: Sandy flats
Elevation: < 200 m
California counties: Riverside, San Bernardino, Imperial, San Diego
Outside California: to Arizona, Mexico
Bloom period
Euphorbia abramsiana blooms Sep-Nov.
Conservation status
CNPS 2B.2
How to tell it apart
vs Croton: Euphorbia bleeds milky white latex and packs its flowers into a tiny cup (cyathium) rimmed with nectar glands; Croton has watery sap, stellate or scaly hairs, and ordinary small separate male and female flowers.; vs Stillingia: Euphorbia flowers sit in a gland-bearing cyathium; Stillingia bears its flowers in a spike with a pair of glands flanking each subtending bract and has no cyathium cup.; vs Ditaxis: Euphorbia has latex and the cyathium; Ditaxis has clear sap, 5-parted petaled male and female flowers, and 2-forked (malpighiaceous) hairs.; vs Asclepias: Both ooze milky sap, but Euphorbia's minute flowers cluster in a cyathium and ripen into a 3-lobed capsule; milkweeds have showy 5-parted flowers with a crown and paired follicles of plumed seeds.; vs Polygonum: Prostrate mat spurges leak milky sap when torn and have paired stipules with opposite leaves at the nodes; knotweeds have clear sap and a papery sheath (ocrea) wrapping each node.
Frequently asked questions
Is Euphorbia abramsiana native to California?
Yes. Euphorbia abramsiana is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Euphorbia abramsiana bloom?
Euphorbia abramsiana blooms Sep-Nov.
Where in California does Euphorbia abramsiana grow?
Euphorbia abramsiana occurs in Riverside, San Bernardino, Imperial, San Diego, at elevations of < 200 m.
What plant family does Euphorbia abramsiana belong to?
Euphorbia abramsiana is in the Euphorbiaceae family, genus Euphorbia.
Is Euphorbia abramsiana rare or endangered?
Euphorbia abramsiana carries California Rare Plant Rank 2B.2, state rank S2.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · CNPS Rare Plant Inventory · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos · CDFW CNDDB
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.