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Euphorbia prostrata is often confused with:
Euphorbia maculata Leaves
Plants that fill a similar niche:
Eleusine indica Form (Goldsboro, NC)-Early Fall
Euphorbia hirta leaf arrangement
Euphorbia nutans Chamaesyce nutans

Euphorbia prostrata

Previously known as:

  • Chamaesyce prostrata
Phonetic Spelling
kam-ay-SY-kee prost-RAH-tuh
Description

This plant can give the appearance of a chunky sweater with its warm colors and comforting shapes of its leaves. Indeed, it tolerates the heat well, and with its delicate look, it could become a favorite in your garden that you do not want to remove. The tones of red and green draw you in to look further and think of the cooler days of fall and winter.

Spurges are summer annual weeds that flourish in warm weather, but in warmer climates, some can persist into late fall. Plants flower in summer and early fall, then die after frost. Flowers are greenish-white. Spurges are some of the most common warm-season weeds in container nurseries. Each exudes a milky sap when stems or leaves are broken.

Spotted and Ground Spurge are similar and have prostrate to ascending stems with round or oblong leaves. Some have a large dark spot on the leaf blade. Seedlings are very small but will flower when young. This plant is a prolific seeder. Seeds have limited or no dormancy and germinate quickly.

Management for Spurges: Because spurges flower when young and have little or no seed dormancy, weed populations can increase rapidly. Remove plants when young to reduce seed production. They are time-consuming to hand weed due to the number of seedlings that form. Some species may forcefully discharge seeds. Spurges are well-managed by most pre-emergence herbicides labeled for use.

 

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

 

More information on Euphorbia.

Profile Video:
See this plant in the following landscape:
Cultivars / Varieties:
Tags:
#heat tolerant#weedy#fall interest#summer annual weed#summer flowers#sap#small flowers#weed control#milky sap#hairy leaves#annual#weed
 
Cultivars / Varieties:
Tags:
#heat tolerant#weedy#fall interest#summer annual weed#summer flowers#sap#small flowers#weed control#milky sap#hairy leaves#annual#weed
  • Attributes:
    Genus:
    Euphorbia
    Species:
    prostrata
    Family:
    Euphorbiaceae
    Life Cycle:
    Annual
    Particularly Resistant To (Insects/Diseases/Other Problems):
    heat
  • Whole Plant Traits:
    Plant Type:
    Annual
    Weed
    Growth Rate:
    Rapid
  • Flowers:
    Flower Color:
    Green
    White
    Flower Bloom Time:
    Fall
    Summer
    Flower Description:
    Plants flower in summer and early fall, then die after frost. Flowers are greenish-white.
  • Leaves:
    Leaf Color:
    Green
    Leaf Arrangement:
    Opposite
    Leaf Shape:
    Oblong
    Hairs Present:
    Yes
    Leaf Description:
    This plant has round or oblong leaves. Some have a large dark spot on the leaf blade. Some have hairs.
  • Stem:
    Stem Color:
    Red/Burgundy
    Stem Is Aromatic:
    No
    Stem Description:
    green leaves have red stems
  • Landscape:
    Problems:
    Weedy