Euphorbia maculata.luirig.altervista.org. (Accessed 4/2014).

Chamaesyce maculata is an annual C4 herb (Downton 1971), prostrate, mat forming, stems often pink, to 40 cm long, usually finely hairy, sap milky. 

Leaves opposite, dark gray-green usually with reddish or dark spot, oblong 0.5-1.5 cm, widest below middle, no stalk. 

Chamaesyce maculata flowers. commons.wikimedia.org (Accessed 12/207).

Flowers tiny, inconspicuous, monoecious, but males and females grouped together, axillary (use lens), stamen one, pistil one, several males surrounding one female, clustered above a lobed bract; blooms and fruits June-Sept. 

Fruit dry, a 3-lobed capsule, seeds 0.1 cm. 

Wetland status: FACU-. 

Frequency in NYC: Occasional. Probably more common than indicated by collections. 

Origin: Native. 

Habitat: Open, disturbed, soil, fill, curbs, street tree pits, sidewalk cracks, ball fields. Appears to tolerate compaction and drought. 

Notes: Toxic due to photosensitization (Kingsbury 1964).