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Wild Poinsettia

Euphorbia cyathophora

Found in bottomland forests, dunes, streambanks, disturbed habitats. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

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Not native

Not native to Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 82%

Height
2–3.5 feet
Spread
1–2 feet
Light
Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Usually moist

At a glance

Life cycle
Annual or biennial
Bloom
May to October

Not yet recorded · Leaves

Recorded in 16 Virginia counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 3

Coastal dunes and beaches

Core Banks dunes, June 2013
Dune grassland. Shown: Core Banks, Cape Lookout, North Carolina, a neighboring state.Core Banks dunes, June 2013, Jarek Tuszyński, June 2013. CC BY-SA 3.0. Source record.

Streams, rivers and their banks

Watauga Falls
Named place / source context. Shown: Watauga Falls, North Carolina, a neighboring state.Watauga Falls, Illustrator/engraver not confidently attributed; reproduced in Zeigler and Grosscup, The Heart of the Alleghanies (1883), 1883. Public domain. Source record.

Floodplain and bottomland forests

Forests on low ground beside rivers and streams that flood from time to time.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

8CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Euphorbia

  • Automeris ioIo Moth
  • Episimus argutanaSumac Leaftier
  • Eudryas unioPearly Wood-Nymph
  • Eutrapela clematariaCurved-Tooth Geometer, Purplish Brown Looper
  • Hypercompe scriboniaGiant Leopard Moth, Great Leopard Moth
  • Lobocleta plemyrariaStraight-Lined Wave
  • Pygarctia abdominalisYellow-Edged Pygarctia
  • Sparganothis sulfureanaSparganothis Fruitworm Moth, Sulfur Leafroller, False Yellow-Head
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
—BeesSoutheastern regional records
—Specialist beesPollen specialists
14BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Euphorbia

  • Anthus rubescensAmerican Pipit
  • Anthus spragueiiSprague's Pipit
  • Calcarius pictusSmith's Longspur
  • Callipepla gambeliiGambel's Quail
  • Cardinalis cardinalisNorthern Cardinal
  • Columbina passerinaCommon Ground Dove
  • Corvus brachyrhynchosAmerican Crow
  • Cyrtonyx montezumaeMontezuma Quail
  • Meleagris gallopavoWild Turkey
  • Pooecetes gramineusVesper Sparrow
Show all 14
  • Spizella breweriBrewer's Sparrow
  • Spizella pusillaField Sparrow
  • Tympanuchus pallidicinctusLesser Prairie-Chicken
  • Zenaida macrouraMourning Dove
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Euphorbiaceae
Hardiness
Zones 3a–11b
Soil pH
Acidic to neutral
Flower color
Yellow, green or inconspicuous

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
  • Bloom · “May to October” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) (ranked first; Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
  • Flower color · “Yellow, green or inconspicuous” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differs)
  • Hardiness · “Zones 3a–11b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Height · “2–3.5 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Minnesota Wildflowers, Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differ)
  • Life cycle · “Annual or biennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Minnesota Wildflowers differs)
  • Light · “Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differs)
  • Soil · “Moist” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differs)
  • Soil pH · “Acidic to neutral” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Spread · “1–2 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Also known as

Euphorbia heterophylla var. heterophylla; Fire On The Mountain; Painted Leaf

Conservation status

Virginia rankSNA
Global rankG5
VA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

Native alternatives

Find natives for your garden

Sources