Beginner Gardening: Spurge (gopher plant), 1 by

wrote:
There are 2 types of Spurge with same color flowers and different growth habit. . One is Euphorbia myrsinitis, which sprawl and self-sows to the extent that it becomes weedy.

The second one is E. polychroma, which grows into a mound and is very well behaved in that it is not weedy.

I have started both from seeds. E. myrsinitis I am ripping out. E. polychroma I am keeping.

Both are drought proof with a deep carrot like root. Seeds is the way to get new plants. After flowering, seeds develop in the fall and drop to the ground from E. myrsinitis. You will see the seedling come up next spring. If I remember correctly, the seeds are round and black in color.

Both plants have a milky sap that is irritating on contact, and toxic if ingested. The sap is difficult to remove from the skin. Wear gloves when handling these plants.

Photo of E. myrsinitis