Euphorbia arizonica
Arizona spurge, Arizona Spurge
(c) Eric Knight, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Euphorbiaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Conservation status: CNPS 2B.3
Euphorbia arizonica (Arizona spurge) is a native California herb in the Euphorbiaceae family, recognized by in DSon; distinguished by glandular-hairy fruits.
Arizona spurge is a rare California native (CNPS 2B.3) perennial found in the southern desert region in sandy flats at elevations below 300 meters. Flowering from March to April, this plant produces white to pink flowers in small involucres less than 2 millimeters wide with distinctive petal-like appendages. Growing with prostrate to erect stems that repeatedly fork and appear two-faced, it spreads in a complex branching pattern. Its opposite leaves are arranged two-ranked, with small ovate blades 2 to 10 millimeters long, featuring asymmetric bases and acute tips. The fruit is a small spheric, lobed structure less than 2 millimeters wide, covered in glandular hairs.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 18 sympatric species in DSon; distinguished by glandular-hairy fruits
Habitat and range
Habitat: Sandy flats
Elevation: < 300 m
California counties: San Diego
Outside California: to Texas, Mexico
Bloom period
Euphorbia arizonica blooms Mar-Apr.
Conservation status
CNPS 2B.3
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 arizonica native to California?
Yes. Euphorbia arizonica is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Euphorbia arizonica bloom?
Euphorbia arizonica blooms Mar-Apr.
Where in California does Euphorbia arizonica grow?
Euphorbia arizonica occurs in San Diego, at elevations of < 300 m.
What plant family does Euphorbia arizonica belong to?
Euphorbia arizonica is in the Euphorbiaceae family, genus Euphorbia.
Is Euphorbia arizonica rare or endangered?
Euphorbia arizonica carries California Rare Plant Rank 2B.3, state rank S3.
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.