Balkan Spurge - Euphorbia oblongata
Favourite Photos
Species Description
Neophyte garden escape, native to Sicily and southern Italy. Height: Up to 1.7 m. Only 1 record according to NBN.
Found growing at the base of a wall on the pavement - clearly a self-sown garden escape. E. ceratocarpa (from online pictures) has pinky-purple stems and the correct leaf-shape, alternating pattern and overall look / growing habit.
Stems were sparsely to moderately hairy, starting off as greeny-white, maturing to a pinky-purple. Leaves sessile, lanceolate to narrowly obovate, apex obtuse and minutely serrate at the distal half.
Similarities to:
- E. dulcis (Sweet Spurge)
- E. villosa (Hairy Spurge)
- E. corallioides (Coral Spurge) - has hairs on atleast leaf lowersides
- E. oblongata (Balkan Spurge)
neither of above have the pinky-purple stems or enough leaf density to my plant.
Stace 4:
Euphorbia ceratocarpa Ten.
From Italy, was once naturalised in Glam and is occasionally recorded in England.
Key:
- Rhizomatous or tufted Perennials
- Glabrous and has flat-conical papillae on capsule