Euphorbia peplus

Commonly known as petty spurge or milkweed, is a small annual herbaceous plant native to Europe and Asia but widely naturalized in many parts of the world, including the southern hemisphere. It often grows in gardens, cultivated lands, and waste areas.

Description

  • Height: Typically 5–30 cm tall.
  • Leaves: Oval to oblong, light green, and arranged alternately on the stems. Leaves are about 1–3 cm long.
  • Stems: Erect, often branching, and contain milky latex.
  • Flowers: Small, yellow-green, inconspicuous, and clustered at the ends of the stems.
  • Seed capsules: Contain tiny, smooth seeds that are easily dispersed.

Uses

  • Traditional Medicine: Historically, Euphorbia peplus has been used in folk remedies. The latex is noted for treating warts, corns, and skin lesions.
  • Modern Medicine: The plant's latex contains ingenol mebutate, an active compound used in pharmaceuticals to treat actinic keratosis (a pre-cancerous skin condition).
  • Ecological Role: As a pioneer species, it helps stabilize disturbed soils and provides food for some insects.

Caution: The latex is toxic and can cause skin irritation or severe reactions if ingested. Handle with care.

Propagation

Euphorbia peplus propagates by seed, with each plant producing hundreds of seeds capable of germinating under a variety of conditions.

  • Seed Collection: Harvest seeds as the capsules dry out, typically after flowering in late spring or early summer.
  • Sowing:
    • Sow seeds directly into the soil or seed trays in autumn or early spring.
    • Seeds need light to germinate, so scatter them on the surface and press lightly into the soil without covering.
  • Germination: Germination occurs within 2–4 weeks under mild conditions (10–20°C).

Cultivation

Climate

  • Thrives in temperate to subtropical regions of the southern hemisphere.
  • It prefers cool to warm conditions and may behave as a winter annual in hot climates.

Soil

  • Grows best in well-draining, light-textured soils.
  • Tolerates poor, sandy, or moderately fertile soils with a pH range of 6.0–7.5.

Light

  • Grows in partial shade to full sun, though it prefers semi-shaded areas.

Water

  • Requires minimal watering once established. Water sparingly as the plant is drought-tolerant.

Maintenance

  • Minimal care is needed as the plant is hardy and self-seeding.
  • To prevent overpopulation, remove plants before they set seed.

Pests/Diseases

  • Generally pest-resistant. Avoid excessive moisture to prevent root rot.

Cultural Considerations

  • Can become invasive in some regions. Monitor growth and remove unwanted seedlings promptly.

Euphorbia peplus is a low-maintenance plant suitable for naturalized or wildflower gardens but should be cultivated with care due to its toxicity.

Radium Weed

Radium Weed

Common name   Petty spurge, cancer weed, or milkweed
Botanical name   Euphorbia peplus
Family   Euphorbiaceae
Details   Native to most of Europe, northern Africa, and western Asia, where it typically grows in cultivated arable land, gardens, and other disturbed land.

  • Height: Typically 5–30 cm tall.
  • Leaves: Oval to oblong, light green, and arranged alternately on the stems. Leaves are about 1–3 cm long.
  • Stems: Erect, often branching, and contain milky latex.
  • Flowers: Small, yellow-green, inconspicuous, and clustered at the ends of the stems.
Diameter   1.00
Forest layer   herbaceous

 Related

Radium weed transplant and use feedback

Radium weed transplant and use feedback

The re-planting of the weeds was quite successful, as shown in the attached photo. The one in the green pot is the one from your garden, and is doing the best. The others are from your orchard area. The two at front left and in the brown pot are looking as if they are growing well. Three or four others in the background aren’t looking so good and will probably not make it. Interestingly, on my return home I found several plants growing around our house (now that I have seen what they look like), mainly small, but all looking healthy. When I was re-planting them some were slightly damaged, so I broke the stems and applied the milk to a red dis-coloured area of sun damaged skin on my cheek. Within a couple of hours it was stinging, and the next day it was quite inflamed and raw. It settled to a scab which was gone in about a week, with the redness considerably reduced, so I regard that as successful. The following week, I applied some of the milk to a couple of spots on my nose, probably a bit too liberally, as the next day it was very inflamed, and even bleeding, but again it healed within about a week with a noticeable improvement in the spots. So my conclusion is that the milk is very effective, but quite aggressive, so care is needed not to overdo the application, as the result is quite disfiguring in the short term. I will continue to use it, and would recommend it, subject to the cautions noted.
December 12, 2018