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Eastern Flowering Spurge Euphorbia corollata

Phonetic Spelling
yoo-FOR-bee-ah kor-ol-LAY-tah
This plant has low severity poison characteristics.
See below
Description

Flowering Spurge is a herbaceous perennial that is slender, diffusely branched, and, when wounded, can produce a toxic milky cell sap. The arrangement of the plant's leaves is distinctive, being alternate along the length of each stem, but changing to a whorl of three or more just beneath a flower. Flowering Spurge is monoecious, meaning that male and female flowers are produced on the same plant. Flowers bloom from early summer to early autumn, with no fragrance. During the bloom, an entire plant may lean to one side because of the weight of its inflorescence. After bloom, female flowers become capsules, each containing three seeds. The capsules split open to eject their seeds. The root system consists of a taproot that becomes woody with age.

Flowering Spurge prefers full sun and dry conditions and tolerates almost any kind of soil, including loam, clay, sand, gravel, or rocky material as long as they are well-drained. It can typically be found as a wildflower in forests or natural areas at the edge of woods, or as a weed in disturbed areas along roadsides, waste places, and old fields. Thriving in poor soil is an advantage for this plant because it reduces competition.

Diseases, Insects, and Other Plant Problems: No significant problems

VIDEO Created by Elisabeth Meyer for "Houseplants, Succulents, and Cacti", a plant identification course offered in partnership with Longwood Gardens.

More information on Euphorbia.

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Tags:
#poisonous#full sun tolerant#white flowers#fall interest#NC native#summer flowers#spring interest#food source herbage#bird friendly#food source hard mast fruit#mammals#partial shade tolerant#Audubon#perennial#wildflower
 
Cultivars / Varieties:
Tags:
#poisonous#full sun tolerant#white flowers#fall interest#NC native#summer flowers#spring interest#food source herbage#bird friendly#food source hard mast fruit#mammals#partial shade tolerant#Audubon#perennial#wildflower
  • Attributes:
    Genus:
    Euphorbia
    Species:
    corollata
    Family:
    Euphorbiaceae
    Life Cycle:
    Perennial
    Recommended Propagation Strategy:
    Division
    Seed
    Country Or Region Of Origin:
    South East Canada to Central & Eastern U.S.A
    Distribution:
    throughout
    Wildlife Value:
    Pollen and nectar attracts bees and other polinators.
    Particularly Resistant To (Insects/Diseases/Other Problems):
    drought
    Edibility:
    toxic
    Dimensions:
    Height: 1 ft. 0 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.
    Width: 1 ft. 0 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.
  • Whole Plant Traits:
    Plant Type:
    Native Plant
    Perennial
    Poisonous
    Wildflower
    Habit/Form:
    Ascending
    Clumping
    Erect
    Multi-stemmed
    Spreading
    Maintenance:
    Low
  • 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:
    Clay
    High Organic Matter
    Loam (Silt)
    Sand
    Shallow Rocky
    Soil Drainage:
    Good Drainage
    Occasionally Dry
    NC Region:
    Coastal
    Mountains
    Piedmont
    USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
    4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b
  • Fruit:
    Fruit Color:
    Green
    Display/Harvest Time:
    Fall
    Summer
    Fruit Type:
    Capsule
    Fruit Length:
    < 1 inch
    Fruit Description:
    After blooming, the female flowers are replaced by 3-celled capsules of small seeds, globoid, and 3-lobed in shape; there is one seed for each cell of a capsule. At maturity, these capsules split open to eject their seeds. The seeds are ovoid-obovoid in shape, and finely mottled. Fruits appear between June and October.
  • Flowers:
    Flower Color:
    White
    Flower Inflorescence:
    Panicle
    Flower Value To Gardener:
    Long Bloom Season
    Showy
    Flower Bloom Time:
    Fall
    Summer
    Flower Shape:
    Cup
    Flower Petals:
    Bracts
    Flower Size:
    > 6 inches
    Flower Description:
    Each mature stem terminates in a panicle of flowers up to 9 inches long and 12 inches across. This panicle is somewhat flat-headed and it has an open airy appearance. Individual flower clusters (called cyathia) span about ¼ inch across (including their petaloid bracts). Each cyathium functions like a complete flower and has the tiny unisexual flowers, 5 white petaloid bracts, and 5 green nectar glands at the bases of these bracts. Because Flowering Spurge is monoecious, separate male (staminate) and female (pistillate) flowers are produced on the same plant. Each male flower has several stamens, while each female flower has an ovary with a tripartite style. The petaloid bracts are obovate in shape; sometimes they are slightly notched at their tips. The branches and pedicels of the inflorescence are light green, glabrous, and terete; pairs of small leafy bracts up to ½ inch long occur at the bases of pedicels and where the branches divide. The blooming period occurs from early summer to early autumn, lasting about 1 to 2 months between June to September for a colony of plants. There is no floral fragrance.
  • Leaves:
    Leaf Color:
    Green
    Leaf Value To Gardener:
    Showy
    Deciduous Leaf Fall Color:
    Red/Burgundy
    Leaf Arrangement:
    Alternate
    Opposite
    Whorled
    Leaf Shape:
    Linear
    Oblong
    Leaf Margin:
    Entire
    Hairs Present:
    No
    Leaf Length:
    1-3 inches
    Leaf Width:
    < 1 inch
    Leaf Description:
    Alternate leaves occur along the entire length of each stem, except at the apex underneath an inflorescence, where the uppermost leaves occur in a whorl of 3 or more. They are widely spreading to ascending. Individual leaves are up to 2½ inches long and ½ inch across; they are linear-oblong to oblong in shape and their margins are entire (toothless). The tips of these leaves are blunt, while their bases are sessile or nearly so. The upper and lower leaf surfaces are light gray-green to medium green and glabrous (rarely the lower leaf surface is pubescent). Leaf venation is pinnate with prominent central veins. The foliage of this plant contains a toxic white latex.
  • Stem:
    Stem Color:
    Green
    Stem Is Aromatic:
    No
    Stem Form:
    Straight
    Stem Surface:
    Smooth (glabrous)
    Stem Description:
    Stems are unbranched, except at their apices, where the inflorescences occur. Each stem is light green, terete, glabrous, and sometimes glaucous (rarely it is pubescent).
  • Landscape:
    Landscape Location:
    Meadow
    Slope/Bank
    Landscape Theme:
    Drought Tolerant Garden
    Native Garden
    Pollinator Garden
    Design Feature:
    Border
    Attracts:
    Bees
    Small Mammals
    Songbirds
    Resistance To Challenges:
    Drought
    Problems:
    Poisonous to Humans
    Weedy
  • 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:
    Diterpene esters in milky latex
    Causes Contact Dermatitis:
    Yes
    Poison Part:
    Sap/Juice