Wildflowers of the United States

Flowering Spurge, Blooming Spurge, Emetic Root - Euphorbia corollata

Genus Common Name: Spurge

Native Status: Native

Dicot Perennial Herb

Euphorbia corollata - Flowering Spurge, Blooming Spurge, Emetic Root. I have just a slight doubt as to whether this is Euphorbia corollata (Flowering Spurge) or E. pubentissima (False Flowering Spurge,) both of which look almost identical in the photographs I've found, and I have not found a description of E. pubentissima sufficiently detailed to allow me to make a feature by feature comparison. The one observation I had that seemed a possible difference is that many of the site which seemed more authoritative showed E. pubentissima with fewer blossoms terminating the stems; occasionally only one. That, plus the fact that I couldn't find anything that indicates that this is not E. corollata has led me to make the call that this is Flowering Spurge. If anyone can point me to good information on differentiation of these two species, I would greatly appreciate it - email me.

The common name Spurge for members of the Euphorbia species is reported to come from the French word meaning purge - this plant has some strong medicinal and potentially poisonous properties, so do not ingest it. Further, the milky white sap is reported to be highly irritating to the skin, possibly even causing blistering. So carefully inspect it closely; it is an interesting plant.

Found in:
AL, AR, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, NE, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VA, VT, WI, WV

Journal Articles Referencing Spurge

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Distribution of Euphorbia corollata in the United States and Canada:

Map courtesy of The Biota of North America Program.
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Site: Haywood County, NC Date: 2010-July-12	Photographer: Gerald C. Williamson Nikon D60
The white structures that look like petals are actually appendages to the central cup-shaped structure (the cyathium) which contain the individual flowers in the blossom cluster. Thus each of what looks like a single flower to us is actually a cluster of flowers.

Site: Haywood County, NC Date: 2010-July-12	Photographer: Gerald C Williamson Nikon D60
The orangish appendages in the middle of the blossom are the flowers of this very interesting plant
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Site: Walker County, GA Date: 2010-August-28	Photographer: Gerald C Williamson Nikon D60
The stem leaves are alternate except for the ones just below the inflorescence, where they are typically opposing.
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Site: Walker County, GA Date: 2010-July-12	Photographer: Gerald C Williamson Nikon D60
A single flower in the cyathium – the central cup within the center of the blossom structure - is female, producing the 3-lobed seedpod.
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Site: Haywood County, NC Date: 2010-July-12	Photographer: Gerald C Williamson Nikon D60
The stem leaves of Flowering Spurge are linear, oblong, or in some cases somewhat spatulate as is shown here.
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Site: Haywood County, NC Date: 2010-July-12	Photographer: Gerald C Williamson Nikon D60
The leaves where the stems split are whorled.
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Site: Haywood County, NC Date: 2010-July-12	Photographer: Gerald C Williamson Nikon D60
Flowering Spurge can be quite crowded, here sharing space with a Leather Vasevine (Clematis viorna). It can grow to 3 feet tall or more, but is more normally around 2 feet tall, frequently much shorter.
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Euphorbia corollata initially published on USWildflowers.com 2010-08-30; Updated 2015-06-25

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Code Update 20230302