Euphorbia lathyrus

Miranda, Jan.<br>Photographer: John Smith-Dodsworth, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>.

Inflorescence. Sep 2006.<br>Photographer: Peter J. de Lange, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>.

In late bud. Sep 2006.<br>Photographer: Peter J. de Lange, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>.

Euphorbia lathyrus.<br>Photographer: Peter J. de Lange, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>

Rear dunes at Castlecliff, Whanganui.<br>Photographer: Colin C. Ogle, Date taken: 29/10/2017, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0'>CC BY-NC</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>

Trentham, Upper Hutt.<br>Photographer: Jeremy R. Rolfe, Date taken: 19/03/2011, Licence: <a target='_blank' href='https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0'>CC BY</a>. <a class='member-message' href='/nzpcn/why-join-nzpcn/' target='_blank'>Members can view a larger version of this image.</a>

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Poisonous plant

Common name

caper spurge

Synonyms

Euphorbia lathyris L.

Family

Euphorbiaceae

Authority

Euphorbia lathyrus L.

Flora category

Vascular – Exotic

Structural class

Herbs - Dicotyledons other than Composites

NVS code

The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.

EUPLAT

Features

A hairless, bluish-green biennial plant growing to a height of 1 - 1.5 metres.

Flowering

Summer months

Flower colours

Green, Yellow

Year naturalised

1870

Origin

E. and C. Mediterranean but widely naturalised in Western Europe.

Etymology

euphorbia: After Euphorbus, a Greek physician who served King Juba of Numidia in 12BC. Juba named a cactus to honour Euphorbus and later Linnaeus named the entire genus after the physician.

Poisonous plant:

All species of Euphorbia are poisonous especially this which can cause blindness in people removing it by hand from the garden and then rubbing their eyes.

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