Leafy Spurge

Growth Form:  Forb

General:   Perennial herb, flow bracts very visible from May through mid-June, seeds produced in July.

Flowers:   Inconspicuous, borne by paired, yellowish green, cup-shaped bracts, paired bracts are in clusters of seven to ten at top of stem branches.

Fruits and Seeds:   Contained in center of paired bracts, explosive dehiscence projects seeds up to 15 ft.

Leaves:   Leaves alternate, narrow, lanceolate-oblong with pointy tips; smooth leaves produce milky sap.

Stems or Branches:   Erect, tough and woody, 4-39 in. high.

Threatens:   Prairies, savannas, pastures; moist to dry soils, partial to full sun.

Look-Alikes:   Flowing Spurge (E. corollata), native, has white bracts; Seaside Spurge (E. polygonifolia), native, has opposite to subopposite leaves and grows prostrate on sand surface; Cypress Spurge (E. ????); Woodland Spurges (E. communata and E. obtuse), native…..

Distribution:   Native to much of Eurasia, widely distributed across N U.S. Apparently absent from SE.

Other Links:  

http://www.nps.gov/plants/ALIEN/fact/eues1.htm
http://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/plants/leafyspurge.shtml
http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/invasives/fact/spurge.htm