Toothed Spurge

Euphorbia dentata

Found in bottomland forests, disturbed areas, hedgerows, thickets, railroad cinders. 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 76%

Height: Up to about 2 feet
Light: Partial shade, Full sun
Soil moisture: Dry to moist

Euphorbia dentata — fruit photograph — (c) Todd Patterson, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY 4.0 · Original photograph

At a glance

Life cycle: Annual
Bloom: July to October

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Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves

Recorded in 70 Virginia counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement.

Named place / source context. Shown: Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, Georgia and Tennessee; which part is not recorded, a neighboring state.Wooded scene looking out over partially open fields, Richard Schlecht, undated. Public domain. Source record.

Habitats

Floodplain and bottomland forests; roadsides, fields and disturbed ground; forest edges and thickets.

Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there. 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
Flower color: White or green

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

Growing sources and scope

Bloom · “July to October” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
Flower color · “White or green” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Height · “Up to about 2 feet” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Life cycle · “Annual” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Light · “Partial shade; Full sun (documented habitat)” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
Soil · “Dry; Moist (documented habitat)” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia

Also known as

Painted Leaf; Wild Poinsettia

Conservation status

Virginia rank	SNA
Global rank	G5
VA status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

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