Euphorbia esula

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Euphorbia esula
Euphorbia esula - kibe piimalill.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Malpighiales
Family: Euphorbiaceae
Genus: Euphorbia
Species:
E. esula
Binomial name
Euphorbia esula
L.

Euphorbia esula, commonly known as green spurge or leafy spurge, [1] is a species of spurge native to central and southern Europe (north to England, the Netherlands, and Germany), and eastward through most of Asia north of the Himalaya to Korea and eastern Siberia. It can also be found in some parts of Alaska. [2] [3] [4]

Contents

Description

Detail of flowers and immature seeds Euphorbia esula bluete.jpeg
Detail of flowers and immature seeds

It is a herbaceous perennial plant growing to 1-1.2 m tall, with several stems branched from the base. The stems are smooth, hairless, or slightly hairy. The leaves are small, lanceolate, 4-8.5 cm long and up to 1 cm broad, with a slightly wavy margin. The flowers are small, produced in umbels with a basal pair of bright yellow-green petal-like bracts. Clusters of the bracts appear in late spring, while the actual flowers do not develop until early summer. All parts of the plant contain a toxic white milky sap. [4] [5]

It reproduces readily like by seeds that have a high germination rate and may remain viable in the soil for at least eight years. [6] The seed capsules open explosively, dispersing seed up to 5 m from the parent plant, and may be carried further by water and wildlife. Leafy spurge also spreads vegetatively from the root system, which is complex, reported to reach 8 m into the ground and 5 m across, and may have numerous buds. [7] [8] [9]

There are two subspecies and a hybrid subspecies: [2] [4]

Confusion with Euphorbia virgata

It has commonly been confused with Euphorbia virgata . E. esula is no longer considered a permanent component of the North American flora. [10] E. esula is restricted to certain parts of Europe and not considered a weedy species, while E. virgata is found throughout the United States and Canada and has caused significant economic and ecological impacts. [10] E. virgata is best distinguished from E. esula by its leaves, which are 6-15 times longer than wide with margins that are (near-)parallel at the middle of the blade, while E. esula leaves are wider toward the tip, usually 3-8 times longer than wide, with margins that are not parallel at the middle of the leaf. In addition, the apex of E. virgata is usually acute and the base is truncate to attenuate, while the apex of E. esula is rounded or subacute and the base is more gradually attenuate or cuneate. [10] Mentions of E. esula in the North American flora and invasive species literature are now referred to E. virgata.

Related Research Articles

<i>Euphorbia</i> Genus of flowering plants in the spurge family Euphorbiaceae

Euphorbia is a very large and diverse genus of flowering plants, commonly called spurge, in the family Euphorbiaceae. "Euphorbia" is sometimes used in ordinary English to collectively refer to all members of Euphorbiaceae, not just to members of the genus.

<i>Aphthona</i> Genus of beetles

Aphthona is a genus of beetle, in the leaf beetle family Chrysomelidae, native to Europe and Asia. More specifically, Aphthona are flea beetles, meaning they have enlarged hind legs for jumping away from potential danger. There are some 300 species known worldwide.

<i>Euphorbia helioscopia</i> Species of flowering plant

Euphorbia helioscopia, the sun spurge or madwoman's milk, is a species of flowering plant in the spurge family Euphorbiaceae. It is a herbaceous annual plant, native to most of Europe, northern Africa, and eastward through most of Asia.

<i>Lapsana communis</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae

Lapsana communis, the common nipplewort, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is native to Europe and southwestern Asia, and it is widely naturalized in other regions including North America.

<i>Euphorbia myrsinites</i> Species of flowering plant in the spurge family Euphorbiaceae

Euphorbia myrsinites, the myrtle spurge, blue spurge, or broad-leaved glaucous-spurge, is a succulent species of flowering plant in the spurge family Euphorbiaceae.

<i>Euphorbia peplus</i> Species of plant

Euphorbia peplus, is a species of Euphorbia, native to most of Europe, northern Africa and western Asia, where it typically grows in cultivated arable land, gardens and other disturbed land.

<i>Hyles euphorbiae</i> Species of moth

Hyles euphorbiae, the spurge hawk-moth, is a European moth of the family Sphingidae. It has been found in Pontresina, Switzerland. This hawk moth is used as an agent of biological pest control against the noxious weed leafy spurge, but usually only in conjunction with other agents. The larvae consume the leaves and bracts of the plant. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.

<i>Agave shawii</i> Species of succulent plant from North America

Agave shawii is a species of monocarpic succulent plant in the genus Agave, commonly known as Shaw's agave. It is a rosette-forming plant characterized by glossy, green leaves with toothed margins. After several years of slow growth, the plant puts all of its resources to produce a towering stalk of flowers, and then dies. The death of the flowering rosette is compensated by the growth of numerous clonal pups. This species is segregated into two subspecies, one native to the coast of southwestern California and northwestern Baja California, known commonly as the coast agave, and another native to the Baja California desert, known as the Goldman agave.

Leafy spurge may refer to several species of plant in the genus Euphorbia, including:

Aphthona abdominalis is a species of leaf beetle known as the minute spurge flea beetle. It was used as an agent of biological pest control against the noxious weed leafy spurge, but never established a viable population.

Aphthona cyparissiae is a species of leaf beetle known as the brown dot leafy spurge flea beetle. It is used as an agent of biological pest control against the noxious weed leafy spurge.

Aphthona czwalinae is a species of leaf beetle known as the black leafy spurge flea beetle. It is used as an agent of biological pest control against the noxious weed leafy spurge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Euphorbiaceae</span> Family of Eudicot flowering plants

Euphorbiaceae, the spurge family, is a large family of flowering plants. In English, they are also commonly called euphorbias, which is also the name of the type genus of the family. Most spurges, such as Euphorbia paralias, are herbs, but some, especially in the tropics, are shrubs or trees, such as Hevea brasiliensis. Some, such as Euphorbia canariensis, are succulent and resemble cacti because of convergent evolution. This family has a cosmopolitan global distribution. The greatest diversity of species is in the tropics; however, the Euphorbiaceae also have many species in nontropical areas of all continents except Antarctica.

<i>Euphorbia paralias</i> Species of flowering plant

Euphorbia paralias, the Sea Spurge, is a species of flowering plant in the family Euphorbiaceae, native to Europe, northern Africa and western Asia.

<i>Euphorbia characias</i> Species of flowering plant in the spurge family Euphorbiaceae

Euphorbia characias, the Mediterranean spurge or Albanian spurge, is a species of flowering plant in the family Euphorbiaceae typical of the Mediterranean vegetation. It is an upright, compact evergreen shrub growing to 1.2 m tall and wide.

<i>Chamaesphecia crassicornis</i> Species of moth

Chamaesphecia crassicornis is a moth of the family Sesiidae. It is found in south-eastern Austria, southern Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, southern Russia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. It is rare in central Europe. It has been released in North America for the biological control of leafy spurge.

<i>Euphorbia lamarckii</i> Species of flowering plant

Euphorbia lamarckii is a species of flowering plant in the family Euphorbiaceae, native to the western Canary Islands. It resembles Euphorbia regis-jubae, with which it has been confused. Both have been called Euphorbia obtusifolia.

<i>Euphorbia regis-jubae</i> Species of flowering plant

Euphorbia regis-jubae is a species of flowering plant in the family Euphorbiaceae, native to the eastern Canary Islands, western Morocco, north-western Western Sahara. In Spanish, it is known as tabaiba morisca. It has often been confused with Euphorbia lamarckii. The specific epithet regis-jubae, meaning 'King Juba's euphorbia' honours the king's contributions to natural history and his role in bringing the genus to notice. The palm tree genus Jubaea is also named after Juba.

<i>Euphorbia virgata</i> Species of flowering plant

Euphorbia virgata, commonly known as leafy spurge, wolf's milk leafy spurge, or wolf's milk is a species of spurge native to Europe and Asia, and introduced in North America, where it is an invasive species.

<i>Euphorbia paniculata</i> Species of plant

Euphorbia paniculata is a species of flowering plant in the spurge family Euphorbiaceae, native to the Iberian Peninsula and North Africa in the western Mediterranean Basin.

References

  1. BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  2. 1 2 "Euphorbia esula". Germplasm Resources Information Network . Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture . Retrieved 2017-12-18.
  3. Flora Europaea: Euphorbia esula
  4. 1 2 3 Blamey, M. & Grey-Wilson, C. (1989). Flora of Britain and Northern Europe. ISBN   0-340-40170-2
  5. Huxley, A, ed. (1992). New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. ISBN   0-333-47494-5
  6. Lym, Rodney G. (1998). "The Biology and Integrated Management of Leafy Spurge (Euphorbia esula) on North Dakota Rangeland". Weed Technology. 12 (2): 367–373. doi:10.1017/S0890037X00043955. hdl: 10365/3132 . JSTOR   3988402. S2CID   82415055.
  7. U.S. National Park Service description
  8. Species Profile - Leafy Spurge (Euphorbia esula), National Invasive Species Information Center, National Agricultural Library
  9. Selleck, G. W.; Coupland, R. T.; Frankton, C. (1962-02-01). "Leafy Spurge in Saskatchewan" (PDF). Ecological Monographs. 32 (1): 1–29. doi:10.2307/1942359. hdl: 10365/3208 . ISSN   1557-7015. JSTOR   1942359.
  10. 1 2 3 "Euphorbia virgata". Flora of North America. Retrieved 2018-08-17.