Euphorbia revoluta
Revolute spurge, Revolute Spurge
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Family: Euphorbiaceae · Type: Herb · Native
Conservation status: CNPS 4.3
Euphorbia revoluta (Revolute spurge) is a native California herb in the Euphorbiaceae family, recognized by revolute leaf margins and undivided styles diagnostic.
Revolute spurge is a native annual found in the Colorado Desert and Peninsular Ranges on rocky slopes at elevations up to 3,100 meters. Flowering from August to September, this plant produces tiny white petal-like appendages surrounding small greenish cyathia. Growing with repeatedly forking stems that spread diffusely and become two-faced, it reaches moderate heights through repeated branching. Its opposite leaves are linear, 3 to 26 millimeters long, with margins distinctively rolled under and tips ranging from acute to obtuse. The small spheric fruit contains seeds that are white to gray, one to 1.5 millimeters long, and marked with transverse ridges.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 30 sympatric species; revolute leaf margins and undivided styles diagnostic
Habitat and range
Habitat: Rocky slopes
Elevation: < 3100 m
California counties: San Bernardino, San Diego, Riverside
Outside California: to Rocky Mountains, Mexico
Bloom period
Euphorbia revoluta blooms Aug-Sep.
Conservation status
CNPS 4.3
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 revoluta native to California?
Yes. Euphorbia revoluta is native to California (recorded as native).
When does Euphorbia revoluta bloom?
Euphorbia revoluta blooms Aug-Sep.
Where in California does Euphorbia revoluta grow?
Euphorbia revoluta occurs in San Bernardino, San Diego, Riverside, at elevations of < 3100 m.
What plant family does Euphorbia revoluta belong to?
Euphorbia revoluta is in the Euphorbiaceae family, genus Euphorbia.
Is Euphorbia revoluta rare or endangered?
Euphorbia revoluta carries California Rare Plant Rank 4.3, state rank S4.
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.