Euphorbia ocellata subsp. ocellata
Valley spurge, Valley Spurge
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Family: Euphorbiaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Euphorbia ocellata subsp. ocellata (Valley spurge) is a native California herb in the Euphorbiaceae family, recognized by lack of gland appendages and small leaves.
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.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 28 sympatric species; key feature is lack of gland appendages and small leaves
Habitat and range
Habitat: Dry, sandy places
Elevation: < 500 m
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
Bloom period
Euphorbia ocellata subsp. ocellata blooms May-Sep.
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 ocellata subsp. ocellata native to California?
Yes. Euphorbia ocellata subsp. ocellata is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Euphorbia ocellata subsp. ocellata bloom?
Euphorbia ocellata subsp. ocellata blooms May-Sep.
Where in California does Euphorbia ocellata subsp. ocellata grow?
Euphorbia ocellata subsp. ocellata occurs in Madera, Los Angeles, Inyo, Tulare, San Bernardino, Fresno, San Luis Obispo, Tuolumne and other counties, at elevations of < 500 m.
What plant family does Euphorbia ocellata subsp. ocellata belong to?
Euphorbia ocellata subsp. ocellata is in the Euphorbiaceae family, genus Euphorbia.
What habitat does Euphorbia ocellata subsp. ocellata grow in?
Euphorbia ocellata subsp. ocellata grows in Dry, sandy places.
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.