Euphorbia corollata is an herbaceous perennial plant in the family Euphorbiaceae that is native to North America. A common name for the species is flowering spurge.[2] It has a milky sap that can cause skin and eye irritation in some people. It grows up to 1 m (3 ft) tall, with smooth stems and light green leaves arranged alternately or in whorls. Leaves are about 10 mm (1/2 in) wide and 75 mm (3 in) long. Each stem terminates in a panicle 20 to 25 mm (3/4 to 1 in) across. Flowers are about 6 mm (1/4 in) across and consist of one pistillate and several staminate flowers surrounded by five white bracts - not petals but formed from the involucre at the base of the flowers.[3] Flowering spurge blooms from June to September.[4]
Euphorbia corollata, the top of a plant rather below the common size
Barren flower
Calyx not fully expanded
Stamen
Fertile flower
Range and habitat
Flowering spurge grows in most soil types as long as they are well-drained. It is usually found in prairies, pastures, glades, and along roads and train tracks.[5] It has excellent drought tolerance and develops a deep taproot. It is difficult to transplant once established.[6]
Flowering spurge is native from Texas north to South Dakota and east to the Atlantic coast.[7]
Faunal associations
The flowers are pollinated by a variety of insects including bees, wasps, flies, and butterflies. Other insects feed on foliage, stems, and other parts of the plant, although mammals avoid it because of its toxic sap. Seeds are fed on by wild turkey, greater prairie chicken, bobwhite quail, mourning dove, and horned lark.[6]
Uses
The plant can be used as a laxative, but is poisonous if eaten in quantity.[8]
^"Euphorbia corollata". County-level distribution map from the North American Plant Atlas (NAPA). Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2014.
^Niering, William A.; Olmstead, Nancy C. (1985) [1979]. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers, Eastern Region. Knopf. p. 513. ISBN0-394-50432-1.
