Euphorbia ocellata subsp. ocellata

Valley spurge, Valley Spurge

Family: Euphorbiaceae · Type: annual · Native

Valley spurge is a California native annual found in the Central California Floristic Province in dry, sandy places at elevations below 500 meters. Flowering from May to September, this plant produces small greenish flowers in delicate clusters. Growing as a slender, glabrous plant up to 20 centimeters tall with multiple branching stems, it has a compact, somewhat sprawling form. Its leaves are distinctively small, less than 10 millimeters long, with ovate to sickle-shaped blades that provide a subtle, graceful texture to the plant. The plant lacks gland appendages, giving it a clean, minimal appearance characteristic of its desert and dry habitat.

Habitat: Dry, sandy places

Bloom period: May-Sep

Elevation: < 500 m

Bioregions: CA-FP (exc PR).

California counties: Madera, Los Angeles, Inyo, Tulare, San Bernardino, Fresno, San Luis Obispo, Tuolumne, San Benito, Tehama, Riverside, Monterey, Kern, Contra Costa, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Solano, Alameda, Butte, Placer, San Joaquin

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.