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Euphorbia serpens is often confused with:
Euphorbia maculata Leaves
Plants that fill a similar niche:
Euphorbia hirta leaf arrangement
Euphorbia maculata Leaves
Euphorbia nutans Chamaesyce nutans

Euphorbia serpens

Common Name(s):

Previously known as:

  • Chamaesyce serpens
Phonetic Spelling
yoo-FOR-bee-uh SUR-penz
Description

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. Each exudes a milky sap when stems or leaves are broken.

Management Guidelines 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 preemergence herbicides labeled for use.

Creeping spurge differs from the other prostrate spurges by the following: rooting at the nodes, having smaller, more rounded leaves, and lacking hairs on the stem. Little else is known about this species other than that it is naturalized in California and recently found in nurseries in the eastern US.

 

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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Cultivars / Varieties:
Tags:
#white flowers#green flowers#weedy#fall interest#mat#summer flowers#sap#weed control#milky sap#warm climates#sandy soils tolerant#coastal plant#weed
 
Cultivars / Varieties:
Tags:
#white flowers#green flowers#weedy#fall interest#mat#summer flowers#sap#weed control#milky sap#warm climates#sandy soils tolerant#coastal plant#weed
  • Attributes:
    Genus:
    Euphorbia
    Species:
    serpens
    Family:
    Euphorbiaceae
    Life Cycle:
    Annual
    Country Or Region Of Origin:
    South and North America
    Distribution:
    AL , AR , AZ , CA , CO , FL , GA , HI , IA , IL , IN , KS , LA , MO , MS , MT , ND , NE , NH , NJ , NM , OH , OK , PA , SD , TN , TX , WY
  • Whole Plant Traits:
    Plant Type:
    Annual
    Weed
  • Cultural Conditions:
    Light:
    Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
    Soil Texture:
    Sand
  • Fruit:
    Fruit Type:
    Capsule
  • Flowers:
    Flower Color:
    Green
    White
    Flower Inflorescence:
    Insignificant
    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 Type:
    Simple
    Leaf Arrangement:
    Opposite
    Leaf Shape:
    Oblong
    Leaf Margin:
    Entire
    Hairs Present:
    No
    Leaf Length:
    < 1 inch
    Leaf Width:
    < 1 inch
    Leaf Description:
    Green leaves in the opposite arrangement are less than .5 inches long.
  • Stem:
    Stem Color:
    Red/Burgundy
    Stem Is Aromatic:
    No
    Stem Surface:
    Smooth (glabrous)
  • Landscape:
    Problems:
    Weedy