Euphorbia peplis

Taxobox
name = "Euphorbia peplis"


regnum = Plantae
divisio = Magnoliophyta
classis = Magnoliopsida
ordo = Malpighiales
familia = Euphorbiaceae
genus = "Euphorbia"
species = "E. peplis"
binomial = "Euphorbia peplis"
binomial_authority = L.

"Euphorbia peplis" (Purple Spurge) is a species of "Euphorbia", native to southern and western Europe, northern Africa, and southwestern Asia, where it typically grows on coastal sand and shingle.Germplasm Resources Information Network: [http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?16395 "Euphorbia peplis"] ] "Flora Europaea": [http://rbg-web2.rbge.org.uk/cgi-bin/nph-readbtree.pl/feout?FAMILY_XREF=&GENUS_XREF=Euphorbia+&SPECIES_XREF=peplis&TAXON_NAME_XREF=&RANK= "Euphorbia peplis"] ] Blamey, M. & Grey-Wilson, C. (1989). "Flora of Britain and Northern Europe". ISBN 0-340-40170-2]

It should not be confused with the similarly spelled "Euphorbia peplus" (Petty Spurge), a common weed.

It is a small, prostrate annual plant, the stems growing to 10-20 cm long, typically with four stems from the base. The leaves are opposite, oval, 1-2 cm long, grey-green with reddish-purple veins.

At the northern edge of its range in England, it has always been rare, and is now extinct.Pearman, D. A. & Preston, C. D. (2002). The last British record of Euphorbia peplis. "BSBI News" 91: 25.]

References