Euphorbia maculata L., Euphorbiaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Other Latin names:  Chamaesyce maculata (L.) Small; Euphorbia supina Raf.

Common name(s): [more details]

Chinese: ban di jin

English: large spurge, milk-purslane, spotted sandmat, spotted spurge

Japanese: ko-nishiki-so

Spanish: lechosilla

Habit:  herb

Description:  "Low annual herbs; stems usually prostrate or decumbent, 0.1-0.2 m long, shaggy villous or sometimes glabrate.  Leaves elliptic-ovate or oblong-ovate to linear-oblong, 4-17 mm long, 2-5 mm wide, sparsely villous, upper surface often glabrate, margins serrulate, apex various, base truncate, petioles 1-1.5 mm long, stipules deltate, 1-1.5 mm long, usually 2-3-parted, villous.  Cyathia solitary at nodes of short, congested, leafy, lateral shoots; involucre ca. 0.8  mm high, villous, glands 4, oblong, minute, appendages short, white, margins irregularly crenate; staminate flowers 2-5 per cyathium.  Capsules ovoid, 3-angled, 1.2-1.4 mm long, uniformly strigose.  Seeds pale brown with a white coat, oblong, 4-angled, ca. 1 mm long, the faces with nearly regular, low, transverse ridges that sometimes slightly include the angles"  (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 610-611).

Habitat/ecology:  On Sand Island, Midway Atoll "found in lawns and hard packed areas"  (Starr, Starr & Loope, 2008; p. A-79).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Canada and United States; naturalized elsewhere (GRIN).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Rarotonga Island	introduced invasive	McCormack, Gerald (2013) Introduced - Recent, Naturalised; Land, lowlands.
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kure Atoll	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (pp. 610-611)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kure Atoll	introduced invasive	Starr, Forest/Martz, Kim/Loope, Lloyd (2001) (p. 10) Voucher cited: Starr & Martz 010522-11 (BISH). Occasional to common near quarters, on runway, and elsewhere.
Marshall Islands Ralik Chain	Kwajalein (Kuwajleen) Atoll		Wagner, W. L./ Herbst, D. R./Weitzman, A./Lorence, D.H. (2013)
United States (other Pacific offshore islands) Midway Atoll	Sand Island	introduced invasive	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (pp. 610-611) Voucher cited: Herbst & Tukeuchi 6392 (BISH)
United States (other Pacific offshore islands) Midway Atoll	Sand Island	introduced invasive	Starr, Forest/Starr, Kim/Loope, Lloyd (2008) (pp. B-5)

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
British Columbia (province of Canada) Province of British Columbia	Canada (British Columbia)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)
China China	China (People's Republic of)	introduced invasive	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2013) Grasslands, roadsides, naturalized. Hebei, Henan, Hubei, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Zhejiang.
Japan Japan	Japan	introduced	Mito, Toshikazu/Uesugi, Tetsuro (2004) (p. 186)
South America (Pacific rim) South America (Pacific rim)	Chile (Republic of)	introduced invasive	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
Taiwan Taiwan Island	Taiwan Island	introduced invasive	Zhengyi, Wu/Raven, Peter H./Deyuan, Hong (2013) Grasslands, roadsides, naturalized.
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (Oregon)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (California)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (Washington)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)

Also reported from
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Canada Canada	Canada	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2013)
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	United States (other states)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)
United States (continental except west coast) United States (other states)	USA (Florida)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Nat. Res. Cons. Serv. (2013)

Control:  If you know of control methods for Euphorbia maculata, please let us know.