Caper spurge

Caper spurge Care

Euphorbia lathyris

What is the plant

Euphorbia lathyris, the caper spurge, is a species of spurge native to southern Europe, northwest Africa, and eastward through southwest Asia to western China. Other names occasionally used include gopher spurge, gopher plant or mole plant.

Euphorbia lathyris - the caper spurge or paper spurge - is a species native to southern Europe. It is an erect biennial plant growing up to 1.5 m tall, with a glaucous blue-green stem, lanceolate 5–15 cm long blue-green leaves arranged in decussate opposite pairs. The flowers are green to yellow-green, 4 mm diameter, with no petals. The seeds are green ripening brown or grey, produced in globular clusters 13–17 mm diameter of three seeds compressed together. It is widely naturalized in many regions, where it is often considered an invasive weed.

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Lighting

Full Sun

Hardiness zone

6a - 9b

Difficulty

Easy

Invasive

Weed

How to Care for the Plant

Water
Water regularly in the first weeks. If your plant is in a pot, check the top soil in the pot either by looking at it or touching it with your finger. In any case, if it hasn’t rained in a month, water.
Sunlight
The best option is planting in full sun. However, the plant can tolerate shady spots too.
Soil
The plant prefers a well-drained soil or potting mix but can tolerate a wide range of conditions.

Disease diagnosis

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Temperature
The lowest winter temperatures the plant can survive outside are down to -26.1°C (-15°F). Inside, normal room temperatures (65°F/18.3°C - 75°F/23.8°C) are suitable.
Container
If growing inside, choose a container with enough drainage holes. You can use gravel at the bottom under mixture of soil, compost or compost for better drainage.
Popularity
709 people already have this plant 153 people have added this plant to their wishlists