Leaf
Marie-France PACAUD, Tela Botanica · CC BY-SA 2.0
Sun spurge
Euphorbia helioscopia L.
Family: Euphorbiaceae
10 to 50 cm
Gardens, crops, wasteland
Flowering: April – November
Full sun
Part shade
Very hardy, to about -20°C
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
The yellow-green bracts arranged in a 5-rayed umbel resemble a small inverted parasol. 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
Oval, finely toothed towards the tip, arranged in a rosette beneath the inflorescence
🌸 Flowers
Small, yellow-green, grouped in a terminal 5-branched umbel, each flower actually a cyathium (a cup-shaped inflorescence typical of spurges) surrounded by bracts.
🍎 Fruits
Small three-lobed capsule
🪵 Bark
Erect herbaceous stem, irritant milky sap
🗺️ Distribution
Europe, western Asia, North Africa; common in France in gardens and crops
🐝 Value for pollinators
Small yellow-green flowers visited by small foraging insects and hoverflies
✂️ Horticultural uses
Regarded as a weed of gardens and crops, with no ornamental use
⚠️ Possible toxicity
White latex irritant to the skin and mucous membranes, toxic if ingested (digestive upset)
⚠️ Look-alike species
Sun spurge
Euphorbia helioscopia
Cypress spurge
Euphorbia cyparissias
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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