Leaf
Mathieu MENAND, Tela Botanica · CC BY-SA 2.0
Cypress spurge
Euphorbia cyparissias L.
Family: Euphorbiaceae
15 to 40 cm tall
Dry banks, grassland, trackside verges
Flowering: April – June
Full sun
Part shade
Very hardy, to -20°C
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
Any wound makes a white latex flow that irritates the skin — never touch it to the eyes. Sun spurge has broad oval leaves and a clearly visible 5-rayed umbel silhouette, whereas cypress spurge has fine, dense foliage reminiscent of a small conifer.
🍃 Leaves
Very narrow and numerous, like the sprigs of a cypress
🌸 Flowers
Small, yellow-green, surrounded by cup-shaped bracts characteristic of spurges
🍎 Fruits
Small three-lobed capsules
🪵 Bark
Erect herbaceous stem, irritant milky sap
🗺️ Distribution
Europe; common on dry banks, wasteland and chalky track verges in France.
🐝 Value for pollinators
Small nectar-rich yellow-green flowers, visited by wild bees and various insects.
✂️ Horticultural uses
Rock gardens, dry banks, ground cover for poor soils; fine, very graphic foliage.
⚠️ Possible toxicity
Sap (latex) irritant to the skin and eyes, toxic if ingested; to be handled with care.
⚠️ Look-alike species
Cypress spurge
Euphorbia cyparissias
Sun spurge
Euphorbia helioscopia
Sun spurge has broad oval leaves and a clearly visible 5-rayed umbel silhouette, whereas cypress spurge has fine, dense foliage reminiscent of a small conifer.
🌿 Other Euphorbiaceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
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