# Sweet Spurge (*Euphorbia dulcis*)

Sweet Spurge is a special plant with soft, green leaves and tiny yellow flowers. It grows close to the ground and can be found in gardens and meadows, adding a splash of color to nature.

- **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 2/5 · Low
- **Habitat:** Gardens and meadows

![Sweet Spurge](https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/70953247/medium.jpg)

Photo: rainerburkard, CC BY 4.0 · [iNaturalist](https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/70953247)

## Appearance

The Sweet Spurge has attractive green or reddish-purple foliage that often forms neat clumps. Its small, inconspicuous true flowers are surrounded by bright yellowish-green bracts, sometimes tinged with red, creating a cheerful display.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Plantae
- **Phylum:** Tracheophyta
- **Class:** Magnoliopsida
- **Order:** Malpighiales
- **Family:** Euphorbiaceae
- **Genus:** Euphorbia

## Interesting facts

- Break a stem, and milky white "blood" oozes out to protect the plant!
- Did you know its "flowers" are actually hidden inside tiny green cups?
- Its leaves can magically change from green to deep purple in cooler weather!
- This plant is a cousin to the famous festive poinsettia, both love color!

## Special abilities

- **Sap Shield:** Sweet Spurge has milky white sap that acts as a natural defense, deterring hungry animals from munching on its leaves.
- **Bract Beacon:** Sweet Spurge can use its colorful, leaf-like bracts to attract busy bees and other insects, even though its true flowers are tiny.
- **Self-Seeder:** Sweet Spurge can scatter its own seeds vigorously, helping new plants sprout up easily and spread its cheerful presence.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 30-60 cm
- **Spread:** 30-60 cm
- **Flower Size:** 1-3 cm
- **Bloom Season:** Spring to early summer
- **Edible:** No
- **Toxicity:** Mild
- **Lifecycle:** Perennial
- **Pollination Method:** Insect

## Ecological connections

- **Pollinates:** Honey Bee (*Apis mellifera*) — Collects nectar and pollen, aiding reproduction.
- **Pollinates:** Buff-tailed Bumblebee (*Bombus terrestris*) — Visits flowers for nectar and transfers pollen.
- **Pollinates:** [Common Drone Fly](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-drone-fly) (*Syrphus ribesii*) — Feeds on nectar, helping to spread pollen.

## Traits

- [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle.
- [Medicinal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/medicinal): Medicinal plants possess chemical compounds that can be used for therapeutic purposes to treat illnesses or maintain health.
- [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors.
- [Edible](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/edible): Edible plants are those parts of a plant that are considered safe for human consumption.
- [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms.
- [Keystone Species](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/keystone-species): Describes a species whose presence and role have a disproportionately large effect on its environment.

## Collections

- [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants)

## Safety

**Danger:** 2/5 · Low

Always wash your hands after touching plants, just to be safe!

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Sweet Spurge?

Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is Sweet Spurge?

30-60 cm

### How wide does Sweet Spurge spread?

30-60 cm

### How big are the flowers on Sweet Spurge?

1-3 cm

### When does Sweet Spurge bloom?

Spring to early summer

### Is Sweet Spurge edible?

No

### Is Sweet Spurge toxic?

Mild

### What is Sweet Spurge's lifecycle?

Perennial

## More Plants

- [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*)
- [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*)
- [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*)
- [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*)

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Source: [Sweet Spurge: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/sweet-spurge)