Euphorbia parryi
Parry's spurge, Parry's Spurge
(c) Matt Berger, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Euphorbiaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Conservation status: CNPS 2B.3
Euphorbia parryi (Parry's spurge) is a native California herb in the Euphorbiaceae family, recognized by linear leaves and narrow appendages distinctive.
Parry's spurge is a California native annual found in the Mojave Desert on sand dunes at elevations below 700 meters. Flowering from May to June, this plant produces white petal-like appendages with delicate cyathia clusters. Growing with prostrate to ascending stems that repeatedly fork and form a distinctive two-faced structure, it spreads low across sandy terrain. Its opposite leaves are linear, 5 to 28 millimeters long, with acute to obtuse tips and symmetrical bases. The tiny fruit is approximately 2 millimeters wide, spheric and subtly lobed, bearing smooth brown to white seeds.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 13 sympatric species; linear leaves and narrow appendages distinctive
Habitat and range
Habitat: Sand dunes
Elevation: < 700 m
California counties: San Bernardino, Inyo
Outside California: to Rocky Mountains, Texas, Mexico
Bloom period
Euphorbia parryi blooms May-Jun.
Conservation status
CNPS 2B.3
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 parryi native to California?
Yes. Euphorbia parryi is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Euphorbia parryi bloom?
Euphorbia parryi blooms May-Jun.
Where in California does Euphorbia parryi grow?
Euphorbia parryi occurs in San Bernardino, Inyo, at elevations of < 700 m.
What plant family does Euphorbia parryi belong to?
Euphorbia parryi is in the Euphorbiaceae family, genus Euphorbia.
Is Euphorbia parryi rare or endangered?
Euphorbia parryi carries California Rare Plant Rank 2B.3, state rank S1.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · CNPS Rare Plant Inventory · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos · CDFW CNDDB
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.