Overview
Garber’s spurge is a short-lived perennial herb that grows in a variety of South Florida habitats, including pine rocklands, coastal dunes, coastal grasslands, and Keys tidal rock barrens.
Threats
The primary threats to Garber’s spurge are habitat destruction and fragmentation due to development, fire suppression, invasive plants, and sea level rise. Its habitats are also under threat; pine rockland is a globally imperiled ecosystem. Coastal dune, grasslands, and Keys tidal rock barren are rare and imperiled.
Scientific Name
Identification Numbers
Characteristics
Life Cycle
Short-lived with wide population fluctuations between years.
Like all spurges, Garber’s spurge develops “cyathia” when it is ready to reproduce. These cup-like structures contain a female flower surrounded by several male flowers. These flowers do not have petals, but the cyathia are surrounded by tiny colorful glands that are reminiscent of petals. These glands produce insect-attracting nectar. After an insect visits and pollinates the female flower, the ovary swells, protrudes from the cyathium, and develops into a three-lobed dehiscent capsule.
Habitat
Pine rocklands, coastal flats, coastal grasslands, and beach ridges. It requires open sunny areas and needs periodic fires or other disturbances to maintain habitat suitability.
Physical Characteristics
Garber’s spurge is a low-growing herb with thin stems and pairs of small (<1 cm) oval leaves that appear blue-green due to the presence of soft hairs. In some populations, all parts of the plant are covered with prominent hairs. Elsewhere, plants appear hairless, though some hairs will always be visible with a hand lens. The stems and midveins of leaves often appear reddish.
Similar Species
Garber’s spurge is distinguished from the many other species of Chamaesyce in South Florida by its overall hairiness, hairy capsules, and solitary (as opposed to clustered) cyathia.
Geography
Miami-Dade and Monroe counties in South Florida.
Timeline
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