Euphorbia parishii
Parish's sandmat, Parish's Sandmat
(c) Ken-ichi Ueda, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Ken-ichi Ueda · licence
Family: Euphorbiaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Euphorbia parishii (Parish's sandmat) is a native California herb in the Euphorbiaceae family, recognized by perennial habit and 2-ranked leaves distinctive.
Parish's sandmat is a California native perennial found in southern California desert bioregions in sandy washes at elevations below 1,000 meters. Flowering from April to October, this plant produces yellow to red glandular flowers in small cymose clusters. Growing with prostrate stems that repeatedly fork and form a distinctive two-faced pattern, it spreads horizontally across sandy ground. Its opposite leaves are tiny, ranging from 1 to 4 millimeters long, with asymmetric bases and obtuse tips that create a delicate, compact appearance. The plant produces spheric, lobed fruits less than 2 millimeters long, bearing white, slightly wrinkled seeds.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 23 sympatric species; perennial habit and 2-ranked leaves distinctive
Habitat and range
Habitat: Uncommon. Sandy washes
Elevation: < 1000 m
California counties: Riverside, Inyo, San Bernardino, San Diego
Outside California: Nevada
Bloom period
Euphorbia parishii blooms Apr-Oct.
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 parishii native to California?
Yes. Euphorbia parishii is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Euphorbia parishii bloom?
Euphorbia parishii blooms Apr-Oct.
Where in California does Euphorbia parishii grow?
Euphorbia parishii occurs in Riverside, Inyo, San Bernardino, San Diego, at elevations of < 1000 m.
What plant family does Euphorbia parishii belong to?
Euphorbia parishii is in the Euphorbiaceae family, genus Euphorbia.
What habitat does Euphorbia parishii grow in?
Euphorbia parishii grows in Uncommon. Sandy washes.
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.