Leafy Spurge

   

Common name: Leafy Spurge

Growth form: Forb

 

Life Span: Perennial

 

Origin: Eurasia

 

Flowering Dates: May - September

 

Reproduction: Rhizomes and seeds

 

 

Height: 0.1 - 0.9 m (0.3 - 2.6 ft, usually 1 - 2 ft.)

 

Flower: Greenish - yellow (1.5 - 3 mm long), unisexual, pistillate flowers divided into 3 cells

 

Fruit: Capsule (2.5 - 3.5 mm long), compartments 3; each compartment 1 - seeded

 

Seed: Ovoid to cylindrical (2.2 - 3 mm long), gray to brown, smooth, mottled

 

Leaves: Alternate; blades simple; cauline leaves oblanceolate to oblong (3 - 10 cm long and 3 - 10 mm wide), wider above the middle, 1 prominent vein, drooping, containing a milky latex; margins entire; surfaces without hair

 

Stems: Erect, branched above, smooth, contain a milky white latex

 

Underground: Rhizomes, deep, woody, spreading, brown with numerous pink buds

 

Where Found: Throughout Nebraska, but it is most abundant in central, north central, and northeastern Nebraska. It infests irrigation ditches, roadsides, fields, woodlands, shelter belts, disturbed sites, rangeland, and especially subirrigated meadows}

 

Uses and Values: Leafy spurge is eaten by sheep and goats

 

Poisoning: Leafy spurge is considered toxic to cattle, however, sheep and goats may eat it following an acclimation period with little or no harm

 

Other: Leafy spurge is a noxious weed in Nebraska and numerous other states. These plants aggressively and quickly spread

 

Similar Species: Cypress spurge (Euphorbia cyparissias L.) is another perennial and is scattered in the eastern one-half of Nebraska. It was originally planted as an ornamental and may be found in yards, cemeteries, and roadsides. Its cauline leaves are only 1 - 3 cm long, and the plants are shorter than leafy spurge.