Leafy Spurge

(Euphorbia esula)

 

Color Photograph: U.S. National Parks Service

Line Drawing: Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. An Illustrated Flora of the Northern United States and Canada, Second Edition.

Leafy Spurge (Euphorbia esula)

Alien: Native of Europe.

Identification: Flowers small and inconspicuous, contained in a pair of oval green to yellow bracts at the top of the plant. Ovary hanging from a thin stem. Flower clustered at the top of the plant like a collection of minute plates. Stem with milky sap. Leaves elongate and narrow, sometimes in whorls near the top of the plant, but not crowded. Plant 8 to 24 inches in height.

Distribution: Throughout most of North America except for the southeastern and south-central United States.

Habitat: Leafy Spurge is a species of disturbed habitats such as roadsides, vacant lots, and fields.

Flowering period: May to September.

Leafy Spurge (Euphorbia esula)

Similar Species:

Cypress Spurge (Euphorbia cyparissias)

 

 Similar Species