Tetracoccus hallii

Jepson Online, Kearny and Peebles 1979

Common Name: Hall's shrubby-spurge Duration: Perennial Nativity: Native Lifeform: Shrub General: Rigid, divaricately branching shrubs to 2 m high; twigs sparsely short-strigose, glabrous in age. Leaves: Leaves small, generally alternate and clustered on short, lateral twigs; blades 2--12 mm long, oblanceolate to obovate, with entire margins, and obtuse to rounded tips. Flowers: Staminate inflorescence cymose, with 1--5 flowers clustered on short, lateral twigs; sepals on staminate flowers 4--6, more or less round; stamens 4--8, filaments 1.5--2.5 mm, glabrous. Pistillate Flowers solitary on the short lateral branchlets, on short, thick pedicels to 3 mm long; pistillate sepals generally 5, 2--5 mm, ovate to deltate; ovary generally 3-lobed, dense-, fine-gray-tomentose. Fruits: Fruit: 8--12 mm, 6--10 mm wide, fine-tomentose. Ecology: Rocky slopes, washes; Elevation: < 1200 m. Distribution: s CA, w AZ Notes: Formerly placed in Euphorbiaceae. Ethnobotany: Unknown Synonyms: Halliophytum fasciculatum var. hallii, Halliophytum hallii, Securinega hallii, Tetracoccus hallii Editor: AHazelton 2016

Plant: Shrub, generally 0.5-2 m, dioecious; sap clear; stem: twigs sparsely short-strigose, becoming glabrous Leaves: simple, cauline, generally alternate, generally clustered on short, lateral twigs; blade 2-12 mm, oblanceolate to obovate, tip obtuse to rounded, margin entire INFLORESCENCE: Staminate inflorescence: cyme, axillary; flowers generally 1-5, generally clustered on short, lateral twigs; pedicel 3-5.5 mm, minutely bracted; Pistillate inflorescence axillary; flower 1 Flowers: Staminate flower: sepals 4-6, ± round; petals 0; stamens 4-8, filaments 1.5-2.5 mm, glabrous; nectary disk ± minutely lobed; Pistillate flower: pedicel 0.5-1(3) mm; sepals generally 5, 2-5 mm, ovate to deltate; petals 0; ovary densely and finely gray-tomentose, chambers generally 3, sometimes 2 or 4, style 1.5-2 mm, free, ± flattened, generally spreading Fruit: capsule, 8-12 mm, 6-10 mm wide, finely tomentose, ± spheric, generally lobed, generally brown; Seeds 1-2 per chamber, smooth, shiny; scar generally appendaged Misc: Rocky slopes, washes; < 1200 m.