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David's Spurge

Euphorbia davidii

Found in streams, rivers and their banks; floodplain and bottomland forests; prairies and grasslands; roadsides, fields and disturbed ground. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you

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Not native

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

Profile 71%

Height
8–28 inches
Light
Full sun
Soil moisture
Dry to moist

At a glance

Life cycle
Annual
Bloom
June to October

Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves

Recorded in 37 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 4

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.

Prairies and grasslands

Barrens native plants returning after prescribed fire, September 2020
Barrens grassland after a prescribed fire. Shown: Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky, a neighboring state.Barrens native plants returning after prescribed fire, September 2020, NPS Photo / Rick Olson, September 2020. Public domain. Source record.

Floodplain and bottomland forests

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

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

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

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Euphorbiaceae

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

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Davids Spurge

Conservation status

Virginia rankSNA
Global rankGNR
VA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

Native alternatives

Find natives for your garden

Sources