Cypress Spurge

Euphorbia cyparissias L.

Euphorbiaceae (Spurge Family)

▲ clump of flowering and non-flowering shoots

▲ colony forming in a landscape bed

▲▼ flowers

▲ post-flowering plants

▲ hillside in Wisconsin with a colony of cypress spurge

Cypress Spurge:  

·         Low growing, creeping-perennial weed, with a deep-growing, almost woody, creeping root system, similar to Leafy Spurge, but so far not nearly as invasive

·         Has 6-18 inch tall stems covered with many 1-2” long, light green, linear leaves

·         Slender, slightly branched stems often form a large, moderately dense colony

·         Flowers are greenish-yellow in clusters at the tip of stems

·         Used as an ornamental groundcover and has escaped cultivation in some areas—more escapes in northern U.S.

·        Leaves  and colony formation of cypress spurge may appear similar to Yellow Toadflax,  but cypress spurge has milky sap and lacks the showy snapdragon-like flowers