About Euphorbia ocellata Durand & Hilg.
Euphorbia ocellata Durand & Hilg. is a species of Euphorbia with the common name Contura Creek sandmat. It is native to the southwestern United States, where it grows across many different habitat types. This plant is a small annual herb, bearing paired leaves that range from oblong to lance-shaped. Each leaf reaches a maximum length of around 1.5 centimeters. Its inflorescence is a cyathium just 2 millimeters wide. The cyathium is made up of petal-like appendages that surround the true flowers, with a round nectar gland located at the base of each appendage. In some individuals, these appendages are absent. The flowers within the cyathium consist of a single female flower surrounded by a ring of up to 60 male flowers. The plant produces fruit that is a lobed, spherical capsule less than 3 millimeters wide. Three subspecies of Euphorbia ocellata are recognized. One of these, ssp. rattanii, is commonly called Stony Creek spurge or Rattan's sandmat, and it is endemic to the northern Sacramento Valley of California.
