Caper Spurge

Euphorbia lathyris

Found in roadsides, disturbed areas. 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 71%

Light: Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture: Dry to moist

Euphorbia lathyris — fruit photograph — (c) Douglas Goldman, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Original photograph

At a glance

Life cycle: Annual or biennial
Bloom: May to August

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Not yet recorded · Height · Spread · Leaves

This plant is missing most of its facts, so Quercus is looking them up in old botany books.

Recorded in 25 Virginia counties.

Natural habitats

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

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
Hardiness: Zones 1a–11b
Soil pH: Neutral to alkaline
Flower color: Yellow or green

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

Growing sources and scope

Bloom · “May to August” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
Flower color · “Yellow or green” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Hardiness · “Zones 1a–11b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Life cycle · “Annual or biennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
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
Soil · “Dry; Moist (documented habitat)” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
Soil pH · “Neutral to alkaline” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox

Also known as

Mole Plant; Myrtle Spurge

Conservation status

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

Conservation source Global and federal source

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