Name: Caper Spurge (Euphorbia lathyris)
Other names: caper spurge, paper spurge, gopher spurge, gopher plant or mole plant Order: Malpighiales Family: Euphorbiaceae Description: An erect biennial (occasionally annual) plant growing up to 1.5 m tall, with a glaucous blue-green stem. The leaves are arranged in decussate opposite pairs, and are lanceolate, 5–15 cm long and 1-2.5 cm broad, glaucous blue-green with a waxy texture and pale greenish-white midrib and veins. The flowers are green to yellow-green, 4 mm diameter, with no petals. The seeds are green ripening brown or grey, produced in globular clusters 13–17 mm diameter of three seeds compressed together. Distribution: Native to southern Europe (France, Italy, Greece, northwest Africa, and eastward through southwest Asia to western China. Habitat: Away from its native range, it is widely naturalized in many regions, where it is often considered an invasive weed. Fun fact: The mole plant is sold by some nurseries as it is believed to repel moles. It is used in folk medicine as a remedy for cancer, corns, and warts and has been used by beggars to induce skin boils.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AboutDymadex's entries on plants, living organism of the kind exemplified by trees, shrubs, herbs, grasses, ferns, and mosses. Archives
March 2020
Categories
All
Hello \(^.^)/ Thank you for Visiting. Please check these out too:
|