Euphorbia discoidalis, commonly known as summer spurge, is a flowering plant. A dicot, it grows across parts of the southern United States. It reaches about in height and has white flowers in the late summer and early fall. It is part of the Euphorbiaceae (spurge) family and the genus Euphorbia.
Distribution and habitat Euphorbia discoidalis can be found from eastern and central Georgia south and west to the Florida panhandle and eastern Texas.Weakley, A. S. (2015). Flora of the Southern and Mid-Atlantic States. Chapel Hill, NC, University of North Carolina Herbarium.
It grows mainly on sandhills, including those that are pine-dominated.Florida State University Robert K. Godfrey Herbarium database. URL: http://herbarium.bio.fsu.edu. Last accessed: June 2014. Collectors: R. A. Norris, R. Komarek, Andre F. Clewell, Robert K. Godfrey, Jefferson, R. Komarek, Loran C. Anderson, Travis MacClendon, Karen McClendon, G. Wilder, Ann F. Johnson, Wilson Baker, and G. Wilder. States and Counties: Florida: Calhoun, Jackson, Leon. Georgia: Thomas.
E. discoidalis is found in areas that are burned frequently such as longleaf pine-wiregrass savannas.
Ecology
Euphorbia discoidalis is insect pollinated and is recorded to have been visited in northern Florida by Augochloropsis metallica, Lasioglossum apopkense, and Pseudopanurgus aestivalis. Ulyshen, M. D., K. Robertson, S. Horn, and C. Dixon. 2024. Characterization of the bee community and pollination network in a southeastern U.S. pine savanna. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 12:1403602.
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