Euphorbia dentata
Toothed poinsettia
(c) Todd Patterson, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Euphorbiaceae · Type: Herb · Not Native
Euphorbia dentata (Toothed poinsettia) is a non-native California herb in the Euphorbiaceae family, recognized by leaf teeth and pubescence diagnostic.
Toothed poinsettia is a naturalized annual found in the San Joaquin Valley and Central Coast bioregions in disturbed sites at elevations below 300 meters. Flowering from July to August, this plant produces green and white cyathia in tight clusters at branch tips with inconspicuous flowers. Growing with erect stems 20 to 40 centimeters tall that feature spreading hairs and ascending branches, it develops a distinctive branching habit. Its leaves are alternate or opposite, with round to lance-shaped blades 2 to 6 centimeters long, coarsely toothed and soft-hairy on the underside. The fruit is a spherical, lobed structure approximately 4 to 5 millimeters across, containing small three-angled seeds with fine surface texture.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 15 sympatric species; leaf teeth and pubescence diagnostic
Habitat and range
Habitat: Disturbed sites
Elevation: < 300 m
Outside California: native to eastern United States, Mexico
Bloom period
Euphorbia dentata blooms Jul-Aug.
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 dentata native to California?
No. Euphorbia dentata is not native to California (recorded as not native).
When does Euphorbia dentata bloom?
Euphorbia dentata blooms Jul-Aug.
What plant family does Euphorbia dentata belong to?
Euphorbia dentata is in the Euphorbiaceae family, genus Euphorbia.
What habitat does Euphorbia dentata grow in?
Euphorbia dentata grows in Disturbed sites.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · 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.