• Photo of Euphorbia hypericifolia (Euphorbia hypericifolias)

Plant Profile: Euphorbia hypericifolia

Taxonomy: Euphorbia hypericifolia

Names

Baby's-breath Euphorbia, Fluxweed, Garden Spurge, Graceful Sandmat, Graceful Spurge, Large-spotted Spurge

  • Photo of Euphorbia hypericifolia (Euphorbia hypericifolias)

Phonetic Spelling:yoo-FOR-bee-uh hy-PER-ee-see-FOH-lee-uh

Genus:Euphorbia

Species:hypericifolia

Family:Euphorbiaceae

Graceful Spurge is a perennial herb characterized by its branched structure, reaching heights of up to 2 feet. This plant is indigenous to the tropical regions of the Americas and, like many euphorbias, produces a milky sap that can irritate the skin and eyes. Therefore, it is advisable to wear gloves and protective eyewear when handling it. In North Carolina, it can be cultivated as an annual or brought indoors during the winter months. While the flowers are rather unremarkable, they are complemented by striking white bracts. No deadheading is required, and it will continue to bloom throughout the entire season.

For optimal growth, plant Graceful Spurge in light, well-drained soil, ensuring it receives full sun to partial shade. This resilient plant is tolerant of deer, heat, and drought conditions. It is well-suited for use in border fronts, rock gardens, containers, and hanging pots. If you choose to bring it indoors for the winter, trim it back and place it in a sunny location.

Euphorbia hypericifolia Feature Summary

Euphorbia hypericifolia Image Gallery

Tags

#full sun tolerant
#annual
#white flowers
#hanging baskets
#tender perennial
#long bloom time
#rock gardens
#borders
#partial shade tolerant
#container plants

Similar Plants

Euphorbia hypericifolia is often confused with:

Euphorbia hypericifolia Feature Summary

Attributes
Used in herbal medicine
Tropical and subtropical Americas
AL , AZ , CA , FL , GA , LA , MD , NM , SC , TX
Perennial
Annual
Fruit
Fruit is a 3-lobed capsule, slightly wrinkled, greyish purple with 3 seeds.
Gray/Silver
Purple/Lavender
Flowers
Clustered heads contain 1 female flower surrounded by many male flowers that are insignificant but are surrounded by showy white bracts. Blooms the season long.
Showy
Long Bloom Season
Spring
Summer
Fall
< 1 inch
Leaves
Leaves opposite, simple, hairy margins, blade elliptical-oblong to oblong, up to 1.5 inches long, base cuneate, asymmetric, apex obtuse, margin obscurely toothed.
Elliptical
Oblong
Entire
Serrate
1-3 inches
< 1 inch
Poisonous to Humans
Milky plant sap can irritate skin or open wounds and may cause nausea or vomiting if other parts of the plant are eaten.
Diterpene esters in milky latex
Leaves
Stems
Sap/Juice
Flowers
Whole Plant Traits
Perennial
Annual
Erect
Mounding
Cultural Conditions
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Good Drainage
Occasionally Dry
Loam (Silt)
Sand
Shallow Rocky
Landscape
Drought Tolerant Garden
Rock Garden
Cottage Garden
Drought
Deer
Heat
Dry Soil
Container
Patio
Hanging Baskets

Euphorbia hypericifolia Attributes

Euphorbia hypericifolia: Uses (Ethnobotany)

Used in herbal medicine

Euphorbia hypericifolia: Country Or Region Of Origin

Tropical and subtropical Americas

Euphorbia hypericifolia: Distribution

AL , AZ , CA , FL , GA , LA , MD , NM , SC , TX

Euphorbia hypericifolia: Life Cycle

Annual
Biennial
Bulb
Perennial
Woody

Euphorbia hypericifolia Fruit

Euphorbia hypericifolia: Fruit Description

Fruit is a 3-lobed capsule, slightly wrinkled, greyish purple with 3 seeds.

Euphorbia hypericifolia: Fruit Type

Achene
Aggregate
Berry
Capsule
Caryopsis
Drupe
Follicle
Legume
Nut
Pome
Samara
Schizocarp
Siliqua

Euphorbia hypericifolia: Fruit Color

grass
Gray/Silver
grass
Purple/Lavender

Euphorbia hypericifolia Flowers

Euphorbia hypericifolia: Flower Description

Clustered heads contain 1 female flower surrounded by many male flowers that are insignificant but are surrounded by showy white bracts. Blooms the season long.

Euphorbia hypericifolia: Flower Color

filter_vintage
White

Euphorbia hypericifolia: Flower Inflorescence

Catkin
Corymb
Cyme
Head
Insignificant
Panicle
Raceme
Solitary
Spadix
Spike
Umbel

Euphorbia hypericifolia: Flower Value To Gardener

Edible
Fragrant
Good Cut
Good Dried
Long Bloom Season
Long-lasting
Showy

Euphorbia hypericifolia: Flower Bloom Time

Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall

Euphorbia hypericifolia: Flower Petals

2-3 rays/petals
4-5 petals/rays
6 petals/rays
7 - 20 petals/rays
asymmetrical petals
Bracts
Colored Sepals
fused petals
more than 20 petals/rays
Tepals

Euphorbia hypericifolia: Flower Shape

Bell
Cross
Crown
Cup
Dome
Funnel
Irregular
Lipped
Radial
Saucer
Star
Trumpet
Tubular
Urn
Wheel

Euphorbia hypericifolia: Flower Size

1-3 inches
3-6 inches
< 1 inch
> 6 inches

Euphorbia hypericifolia Leaves

Euphorbia hypericifolia: Leaf Description

Leaves opposite, simple, hairy margins, blade elliptical-oblong to oblong, up to 1.5 inches long, base cuneate, asymmetric, apex obtuse, margin obscurely toothed.

Euphorbia hypericifolia: Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics

Broadleaf Evergreen
Deciduous
Needled Evergreen
Semi-evergreen

Euphorbia hypericifolia: Leaf Color

spa
Green

Euphorbia hypericifolia: Leaf Type

Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Fronds
Needles
Sheath
Simple

Euphorbia hypericifolia: Leaf Arrangement

Alternate
Opposite
Other/more complex
Rosulate
Whorled

Euphorbia hypericifolia: Leaf Shape

Acicular
Auriculate
Cordate
Cuneate
Deltoid
Elliptical
Filiform
Lanceolate
Linear
Oblanceolate
Oblong
Obovate
Obtuse
Orbicular
Ovate
Palmasect
Palmatifid
Peltate
Pinnatifid
Pinnatisect
Reniform
Rhomboidal
Spatulate
Subcordate
Subulate

Euphorbia hypericifolia: Leaf Margin

Crenate
Crenulate
Dentate
Denticulate
Doubly Crenate
Doubly Dentate
Doubly Serrate
Entire
Lobed
Serrate
Sinuate
Undulate

Euphorbia hypericifolia: Hairs Present

No
Yes

Euphorbia hypericifolia: Leaf Length

< 1 inch
1-3 inches
3-6 inches
> 6 inches

Euphorbia hypericifolia: Leaf Width

< 1 inch
1-3 inches
3-6 inches
> 6 inches

Euphorbia hypericifolia Poisonous to Humans

Euphorbia hypericifolia: Poison Symptoms

Milky plant sap can irritate skin or open wounds and may cause nausea or vomiting if other parts of the plant are eaten.

Euphorbia hypericifolia: Poison Toxic Principle

Diterpene esters in milky latex

Euphorbia hypericifolia: Poison Severity

High
Low
Medium

Euphorbia hypericifolia: Causes Contact Dermatitis

No
Yes

Euphorbia hypericifolia: Poison Part

Bark
Flowers
Fruits
Leaves
Roots
Sap/Juice
Seeds
Stems

Euphorbia hypericifolia Whole Plant Traits

Euphorbia hypericifolia: Plant Type

Annual
Bulb
Carnivorous
Edible
Epiphyte
Fern
Ground Cover
Herb
Herbaceous Perennial
Houseplant
Mushroom
Native Plant
Ornamental Grasses and Sedges
Perennial
Poisonous
Rose
Shrub
Succulent
Tree
Turfgrass
Vegetable
Vine
Water Plant
Weed
Wildflower

Euphorbia hypericifolia: Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics

Broadleaf Evergreen
Deciduous
Needled Evergreen
Semi-evergreen

Euphorbia hypericifolia: Habit/Form

Arching
Ascending
Broad
Cascading
Climbing
Clumping
Columnar
Conical
Creeping
Dense
Erect
Horizontal
Irregular
Mounding
Multi-stemmed
Multi-trunked
Open
Oval
Prostrate
Pyramidal
Rounded
Spreading
Vase
Weeping

Euphorbia hypericifolia: Growth Rate

Slow
Medium
Rapid

Euphorbia hypericifolia: Maintenance

Low
Medium
High

Euphorbia hypericifolia: Texture

Fine
Medium
Coarse

Euphorbia hypericifolia Cultural Conditions

Euphorbia hypericifolia: Light

Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day)
Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight)
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)

Euphorbia hypericifolia: Soil Drainage

Frequent Standing Water
Good Drainage
Moist
Occasional Flooding
Occasionally Dry
Occasionally Wet
Very Dry

Euphorbia hypericifolia: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone

thermostat
10a
thermostat
10b
thermostat
11a
thermostat
11b

Euphorbia hypericifolia: Soil Texture

Clay
High Organic Matter
Loam (Silt)
Sand
Shallow Rocky

Euphorbia hypericifolia Stem

Euphorbia hypericifolia: Stem Is Aromatic

No
Yes

Euphorbia hypericifolia Landscape

Euphorbia hypericifolia: Landscape Theme

Asian Garden
Butterfly Garden
Children's Garden
Cottage Garden
Cutting Garden
Drought Tolerant Garden
Edible Garden
English Garden
Fairy Garden
Garden for the Blind
Native Garden
Nighttime Garden
Pollinator Garden
Rain Garden
Rock Garden
Shade Garden
Water Garden
Winter Garden

Euphorbia hypericifolia: Design Feature

Accent
Barrier
Border
Flowering Tree
Foundation Planting
Hedge
Mass Planting
Screen/Privacy
Security
Shade Tree
Small groups
Small Tree
Specimen
Street Tree
Understory Tree

Euphorbia hypericifolia: Resistance To Challenges

Black Walnut
Compaction
Deer
Diseases
Drought
Dry Soil
Erosion
Fire
Foot Traffic
Heat
Heavy Shade
Humidity
Insect Pests
Pollution
Poor Soil
Rabbits
Salt
Slugs
Squirrels
Storm damage
Urban Conditions
Voles
Wet Soil
Wind

Euphorbia hypericifolia: Landscape Location

Coastal
Container
Hanging Baskets
Houseplants
Lawn
Meadow
Naturalized Area
Near Septic
Patio
Pond
Pool/Hardscape
Recreational Play Area
Riparian
Rock Wall
Slope/Bank
Small Space
Vertical Spaces
Walkways
Woodland