Montana Field Guide

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- Kingdom - Plants - Plantae
  - Division - Flowering Plants - Anthophyta
    - Class - Dicots - Dicotyledoneae
      - Order - Spurge - Euphorbiales
        
        Family - Spurge Family - Euphorbiaceae
        
        Species - Petty Spurge - Euphorbia peplus

Petty Spurge - Euphorbia peplus

Other Names: Cancer Weed, Radium Weed

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Non-native Species

Global Rank: GNR
State Rank: SNA
C-value: 1

Agency Status
USFWS:
USFS:
BLM:

External Links

General Description

Glabrous annual. Stems erect, 10–30 cm, branched in the inflorescence. Leaves alternate, petiolate; blades obovate with rounded tips, entire, 5–25 mm long. Inflorescence a dichotomously branched umbel with leaf-like bracts. Cyathia ca. 1 mm long, glands with attenuate-lunate appendages. Capsule ca. 2 mm long, smooth (Lesica et al. 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. BRIT Press. Fort Worth, TX).

Range Comments

Introduced throughout much of North America; native to Eurasia (Lesica et al. 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. BRIT Press. Fort Worth, TX).

Habitat

Gardens, roadsides; valleys (Lesica et al. 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. BRIT Press. Fort Worth, TX).

Management

Useful Links:
Montana Invasive Species website
Montana Biological Weed Control Coordination Project
Montana Department of Agriculture - Noxious Weeds
Montana Weed Control Association
Montana Weed Control Association Contacts Webpage.
Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks - Noxious Weeds
Montana State University Integrated Pest Management Extension
Weed Publications at Montana State University Extension - MontGuides

References

Literature Cited AboveLegend: View Online Publication
- Lesica, P., M.T. Lavin, and P.F. Stickney. 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. Fort Worth, TX: BRIT Press. viii + 771 p.
Additional ReferencesLegend: View Online Publication
Do you know of a citation we're missing?
- Lesica, P., M.T. Lavin, and P.F. Stickney. 2022. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants, Second Edition. Fort Worth, TX: BRIT Press. viii + 779 p.
- Stein, G. 2011. Euphorbia 'flowers', an introduction to the amazing Cyathia. https://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/3208
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Citation for data on this website:
Petty Spurge — Euphorbia peplus. Montana Field Guide. Montana Natural Heritage Program. Retrieved on May 18, 2024, from https://FieldGuide.mt.gov/speciesDetail.aspx?elcode=PDEUP0Q1N0