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Coastal Sand Spurge

Euphorbia exserta

Found in longleaf pine sandhills, especially in loamier and slightly moister sites. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you

59
Strong

Native to Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 88%

Height
Up to about 1 foot
Light
Full sun
Soil moisture
Dry
Will it fit your yard?

Rare or protected plant. Specialist conservation planting; excluded from routine garden suggestions. Plant caution source

Hidden from default planting suggestions. Wildlife value and native status remain unchanged.

At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Bloom
March to June

Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves

Recorded in 1 Virginia county.

Natural habitats

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

Sandhills

Dry, deep-sand ridges with longleaf pine and turkey oak, kept open by fire.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 79 animals.

All wildlife of Virginia

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)
13BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Euphorbia

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist 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
Flower color
White, red or green
Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Euphorbia gracilior

Conservation status

Virginia rankS1
Global rankG4?
VA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Sources