Chamaesyce peplis (L.) Prokh.

Spice In the field 1 In the field 2

Family: EUPHORBIACEAE

Genus: Chamaesyce

Sinònims: Euphorbia peplis L.

Province distribution: Alacant. Balearic Islands. Barcelona. Castelló. Tarragona. València.

Distribution in the islands: Mallorca. Menorca. Ibiza. Formentera. Cabrera.

General distribution (Phytogeography): Holoartica

IUCN Category: LCLeast concern

Flowering time: JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Life-forms: Terophyte.

Habitats: Beaches and dunes, sandy soils. Coastal sandy soils.

Characteristics: A spurge growing along on the ground, it is the only one of the Chamaesyce genus which is native to our flora. It has asymmetrical leaves with a very visible lobule at the base. The capsules stay on the underside of the plant, touching the ground. It lives in dunes, generally in slightly stoney places. It flowers at the end of summer. It is a species which has become rare, probably due to the alteration of the coastline. We will differentiate it from other species of its genus because it is relatively large (leaves of more than one centimetre); it has no hairs and lives on the coast instead of being in humanised areas.