Narrative

Spurge (Euphorbia characias) is native to a small area near Portugal. However, there are other subspecies that range as far east as Turkey. This is a perennial woody based herb.

The red color will help identify this lifeform. This lifeform is frequentlhy domesticated.

This lfieform is found in Europe.

Euphorbia genus is found almost worldwide. There are about 2,000 annual, biennial, or perennial herbs, shrubs or trees in this genus. Many are succulent with milky sap. Although there is tremendous variety in this genus, this genus seems to defy division into smaller genera. There were 82 species, one hybrid, and nine subspecies growing in greater North America as of 1994.

Spurge Family (Euphorbiceae) is a family of approximately 7,000 to 8,000 species of shrubs, herbs, and trees. There are maybe 2,000 different species in the Euphorbia genus. A common characteristic of most members of this family is a white sticky sap (latex) that will appear whenever a cut is made. Included in this family is the Hevea genus which is the source for natural rubber. Many of the species in this family are stem succulents that can withstand considerable periods of low moisture. For a more detailed analysis of this family refer to the Encyclopedia of Succulents by Rowley. There are 372 species arranged in 46 genera growing in greater North America.

Geranium Order (Geraniales) is a large order composed of many different families. Included here are the Geranium, Oxalis, and Citrus groups.

Dicots (Dicotyledoneae Class) are the predominant group of vascular plants on earth. With the exception of the grasses (Monocots) and the Conifers (Gymnosperms), most of the larger plants that one encounters are Dicots. Dicots are characterized by having a seed with two outer shell coverings.

Some of the more primitive Dicots are the typical hardwood trees (oaks, birches, hickories, etc). The more advanced Dicots include many of the Composite (Aster) Family flowers like the Dandelion, Aster, Thistles, and Sunflowers. Although many Monocots reach a very high degree of specialization, most botanists feel that the Dicots represent the most advanced group of plants.

Seed plants (Phylum Embryophyta) are generally grouped into one large phylum containing three major classes: the Gymnosperms, the Monocots, and the Dicots. (Some scientists separate the Gymnosperms into a separate phylum and refer to the remaining plants as flowering plants or Angiospermae.)

For North American counts of the number of species in each genus and family, the primary reference has been John T. Kartesz, author of A Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland (1994). The geographical scope of his lists include, as part of greater North America, Hawaii, Alaska, Greenland, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.

Kartesz lists 21,757 species of vascular plants comprising the ferns, gymnosperms and flowering plants as being found in greater North America (including Alaska, Hawaii, Greenland, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

There are estimates within the scientific world that about half of the listed North American seed plants were originally native with the balance being comprised of Eurasian and tropical plants that have become established.