Albanian Spurge Euphorbia characias
Other Common Name(s):
Previously known as:
- Esula characias
- Tithymalus characias
- Phonetic Spelling
- you-FOR-bee-uh kuh-RAY-see-us
- This plant has low severity poison characteristics.
- See below
- Description
-
Mediterranean spurge is an easy, low maintenance, perennial that is perfect for a ground cover or specimen plant. This compact, upright, evergreen is native to southern Europe, Turkey, and Albania. It is a member of the spurge family (Euphorbiaceae). The specific epithet, characias, is Latin and means a kind of spurge.
Grown in sunny dry locations with good drainage, it is well suited for xeriscaping, and places where maintenance is difficult, such as banks and poor soil. It is tolerant of many conditions and is not picky about soil pH. Keep the plant soil moist until it becomes established, then water when soil is dry several inches below the surface. Wet soil in the winter can cause problems. Pull up or prune back if it becomes overgrown for the area. Propagate by dividing and replanting in moist soil. It can also be propagated by stem cuttings. Let cut stems dry for a few days to allow the sap to form a callus on the cut end before planting in peat to prevent rot.
This plant grows erect, up to 3 to 4 feet tall, and 3 feet wide. The leaves are narrow, linear to obovate, bluish-green, and spirally arranged around the stem. Each stem as a bottlebrush-like display of greenish-yellow flowers. The flowers lack petals but the bracts are very showy. The stems when broken or cut exude a white milky sap that is toxic and can cause contact dermatitis.
Mediterranean spurge goes well in the garden with other early bloomers such as tulips, daffodils, candytuft, columbine, and bluebells. It can easily be used to fill a small space in the garden or as a specimen plant. This spurge is grown for its easy care and beautiful foliage, with many cultivars available with colors from silver-grey, blue-green, and green-yellow.
Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems: No significant problem.
If ingested, all parts of this plant are toxic. Keep them out of the reach of children or pets. The sap is also a skin and eye irritant. Wear protective gloves and eyewear when handling this plant..
VIDEO Created by Laura Barth for "Houseplants, Succulents, and Cacti," a plant identification course offered in partnership with Longwood Gardens.
- Profile Video:
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- 'Black Pearl'
compact, grayish-green foliage, chartreuse blooms with black nectar glands - 'Bruce's Dwarf'
18 to 30 inches tall, long, narrow, grayish-green leaves, large clusters of cup-shaped chartreuse bracts - Euphorbia characias subsp. characias
blue-green leaves, yellow-green flowers with a dark red eye
Euphorbia characias subsp. wulfenii
- 'Galaxy Glow'
clumping habit, upright stems, glaucous blue-green leaves with pink flush, green flowers - 'Portuguese Velvet'
2 to 3 feet tall, erect, slender, velvet-like, grayish-blue-green leaves, bronze gold bracts cup tiny flowers - 'Silver Swan'
up to 2 feet, upright and spreading habit, gray-green foliage with silver edging, reddish in fall, yellow flowers, creamy bracts - 'Tasmanian Tiger'
3 ft. tall, compact, rounded, variegated foliage, pale yellow and cream bracts with green blotches in the center
2 to 3 ft. tall, larger, narrow, blue-green leaves, greenish-yellow flowers with dark purple nectar glands - 'Black Pearl'
- 'Black Pearl', 'Bruce's Dwarf', Euphorbia characias subsp. characias, Euphorbia characias subsp. wulfenii, 'Galaxy Glow', 'Portuguese Velvet', 'Silver Swan', 'Tasmanian Tiger'
- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
-
- 'Black Pearl'
compact, grayish-green foliage, chartreuse blooms with black nectar glands - 'Bruce's Dwarf'
18 to 30 inches tall, long, narrow, grayish-green leaves, large clusters of cup-shaped chartreuse bracts - Euphorbia characias subsp. characias
blue-green leaves, yellow-green flowers with a dark red eye
Euphorbia characias subsp. wulfenii
- 'Galaxy Glow'
clumping habit, upright stems, glaucous blue-green leaves with pink flush, green flowers - 'Portuguese Velvet'
2 to 3 feet tall, erect, slender, velvet-like, grayish-blue-green leaves, bronze gold bracts cup tiny flowers - 'Silver Swan'
up to 2 feet, upright and spreading habit, gray-green foliage with silver edging, reddish in fall, yellow flowers, creamy bracts - 'Tasmanian Tiger'
3 ft. tall, compact, rounded, variegated foliage, pale yellow and cream bracts with green blotches in the center
2 to 3 ft. tall, larger, narrow, blue-green leaves, greenish-yellow flowers with dark purple nectar glands - 'Black Pearl'
- 'Black Pearl', 'Bruce's Dwarf', Euphorbia characias subsp. characias, Euphorbia characias subsp. wulfenii, 'Galaxy Glow', 'Portuguese Velvet', 'Silver Swan', 'Tasmanian Tiger'
- Tags:
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-
Attributes:
- Genus:
- Euphorbia
- Species:
- characias
- Family:
- Euphorbiaceae
- Uses (Ethnobotany):
- The white milky sap has been used to treat skin cancers, tumors, and warts.
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Woody
- Recommended Propagation Strategy:
- Division
- Seed
- Stem Cutting
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Mediterranean
- Distribution:
- Native; Albania, Corse, France, Greece, Italy, Libya, Morocco, Portugal, Sardegna, Spain, Turkey, and Yugoslavia. Introduced: Germany, Great Britain, New Zealand North, and New Zealand South
- Fire Risk Rating:
- low flammability
- Wildlife Value:
- Nectar plant to pollinators
- Play Value:
- Colorful
- Easy to Grow
- Edibility:
- Toxic if ingested
- Dimensions:
- Height: 2 ft. 0 in. - 3 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 2 ft. 0 in. - 3 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Perennial
- Poisonous
- Shrub
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Broadleaf Evergreen
- Habit/Form:
- Creeping
- Dense
- Erect
- Horizontal
- Mounding
- Oval
- Growth Rate:
- Medium
- Maintenance:
- Low
- Texture:
- Medium
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
- Soil Texture:
- Shallow Rocky
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Alkaline (>8.0)
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Available Space To Plant:
- 12 inches-3 feet
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
- USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
- 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Brown/Copper
- Green
- Fruit Type:
- Capsule
- Fruit Length:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Width:
- < 1 inch
- Fruit Description:
- The dry fruit of spurge is insignificant. Each capsule splits open at maturity to release three seeds.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Green
- Flower Value To Gardener:
- Showy
- Flower Bloom Time:
- Summer
- Flower Shape:
- Cup
- Flower Petals:
- Bracts
- Flower Size:
- < 1 inch
- Flower Description:
- A bottlebrush-like inflorescence tops the plant from June through July. The inflorescence does not have individual flower petals but has a cluster of petal-like whirls of bracts called a cyathium, the same as the well-known poinsettias red flowers are also bracts. The bracts sit on terminal cylindrical-shaped heads and have black or dark brown nectar glands. Spurge has both male and female flowers and blooms in their second year.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Broadleaf Evergreen
- Leaf Color:
- Blue
- Green
- Leaf Feel:
- Smooth
- Leaf Value To Gardener:
- Showy
- Deciduous Leaf Fall Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Other/more complex
- Leaf Shape:
- Linear
- Obovate
- Leaf Margin:
- Entire
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- 3-6 inches
- Leaf Description:
- The leaves of spurge are blue-green in spring through summer, turning yellow-green in the fall. The dense, simple, scale-like leaves are arranged in a spiral along the stems. As the plant matures, the leaves become crowded near the top of the stem and are sparse near the base of the plant. Some people think the leaves smell like coffee.
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Stem:
- Stem Color:
- Green
- Purple/Lavender
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
- Stem Form:
- Straight
- Stem Leaf Scar Shape:
- C-shaped, Cresent shaped
- Stem Surface:
- Smooth (glabrous)
- Stem Description:
- Spurge has a multi-stem trunk that is leafy throughout at first and becomes bare and semi-woody at the base, showing prominent leaf scars. The stem is purplish-green, smooth, erect, and covered with fine woolly hairs. The stem is biennial and carries the flower heads in their second year.
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Landscape:
- Landscape Location:
- Coastal
- Container
- Naturalized Area
- Rock Wall
- Slope/Bank
- Small Space
- Landscape Theme:
- Butterfly Garden
- Drought Tolerant Garden
- Pollinator Garden
- Design Feature:
- Border
- Mass Planting
- Small groups
- Attracts:
- Butterflies
- Hummingbirds
- Pollinators
- Resistance To Challenges:
- Deer
- Drought
- Dry Soil
- Insect Pests
- Pollution
- Rabbits
- Salt
- Squirrels
- Urban Conditions
- Problems:
- Contact Dermatitis
- Poisonous to Humans
- Problem for Cats
- Problem for Children
- Problem for Dogs
-
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Poisonous to Humans:
- Poison Severity:
- Low
- Poison Symptoms:
- The milky white latex sap found in all plant parts can cause mild to severe contact dermatitis. If contact with the eyes occurs the sap can cause temporary to permanent damage to the cornea. If eaten, blistering can occur on lips and oral mucosa. Avoid ingesting plant parts and keep plants away from pets and children.
- Poison Toxic Principle:
- Saponins, Diterpene esters in milky latex
- Causes Contact Dermatitis:
- Yes
- Poison Part:
- Flowers
- Fruits
- Leaves
- Roots
- Sap/Juice
- Seeds
- Stems
