Euphorbia davidii
David's poinsettia
(c) Oscar C. González Martínez, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · licence
Family: Euphorbiaceae · Type: Herb · Not Native
Euphorbia davidii (David's poinsettia) is a non-native California herb in the Euphorbiaceae family, recognized by whitish upper leaves and recurved hairs diagnostic.
David's poinsettia is a naturalized annual found in the Sacramento Valley in disturbed sites at near-zero elevation. Flowering in July, this plant produces small white or green bracts surrounding tight clusters of cyathia at branch tips. Growing with erect stems 20 to 50 centimeters tall that have sparse, stiff, recurved hairs, it develops branches ascending from the base. Its leaves are alternate at the uppermost nodes and generally opposite below, with elliptic to lanceolate blades 4 to 8 centimeters long, coarsely toothed and recurved-hairy on the undersides. The fruit is a depressed-spheric, lobed structure 3.5 to 4 millimeters long, bearing coarsely tubercled seeds.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 12 sympatric species; whitish upper leaves and recurved hairs diagnostic
Habitat and range
Habitat: Disturbed sites
Elevation: +- 0 m.
California counties: San Joaquin, Alameda, Humboldt
Outside California: native to central United States
Bloom period
Euphorbia davidii blooms Jul.
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 davidii native to California?
No. Euphorbia davidii is not native to California (recorded as not native).
When does Euphorbia davidii bloom?
Euphorbia davidii blooms Jul.
Where in California does Euphorbia davidii grow?
Euphorbia davidii occurs in San Joaquin, Alameda, Humboldt, at elevations of +- 0 m..
What plant family does Euphorbia davidii belong to?
Euphorbia davidii is in the Euphorbiaceae family, genus Euphorbia.
What habitat does Euphorbia davidii grow in?
Euphorbia davidii grows in Disturbed sites.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
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.