''Euphorbia missurica'', commonly called prairie sandmat, or Missouri spurge, is a species of flowering plant in the spurge family ( Euphorbiaceae). It is native to North America, where it is found primarily in area of the

Great Plains The Great Plains (french: Grandes Plaines), sometimes simply "the Plains", is a broad expanse of flatland in North America. It is located west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains, much of it covered in prairie, steppe, an ...

. Its natural habitat is in dry, often calcareous areas, including glades, bluffs, and open woodlands.''Chamaesyce missurica''
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Societey''Euphorbia missurica''
Flora of North America

Description

''Euphorbia missurica'' is an annual growing from a taproot. The branching stems are most often

decumbent This glossary of botanical terms is a list of definitions of terms and concepts relevant to botany and plants in general. Terms of plant morphology are included here as well as at the more specific Glossary of plant morphology and Glossary o ...

(lying on the ground). The small flowers are in cyathia which are clustered into terminal

cymes An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed on ...

and there are petal-like appendages. Each cyathium has 29-48 male flowers and a single female flower. The ovaries and capsules are hairless. Flowering occurs in late spring and early summer.

Habitat and distribution

''Euphorbia missurica'' grows in dry, sunny, sparsely vegetated habitats. It is found growing on rocky or sandy soils in dry prairies and waste places and roadsides. Its distribution includes the US states of: AR , CO , IA , KS , MN , MO , MT , ND , NE , NM , OK , SD , TX , WY. In Minnesota it is listed as a special concern species, where it has in the past been found in Ottertail County on sandy shorelines.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15387676 missurica Taxa named by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque