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American ipecac

Euphorbia ipecacuanhae

Also called Carolina Ipecac, Ipecac Spurge, Wild Ipecac

American ipecac
Photo: Austin Pursley, CC0

American ipecac is a small, low-growing perennial herb in the spurge family, native to the sandy coastal plain of the eastern United States. It is a wild plant rather than a common garden subject, and it grows best in well-drained, sandy, sunny spots.

Family
Euphorbiaceae (Spurge family)
Grows as
Perennial
Light
Full sun
Water
Water sparingly once established; it tolerates dry sandy conditions and resents soggy soil.
Soil
Sandy, well-drained soil, low in fertility.
Temperature
Hardy in temperate climates; tolerates winter cold well, protect young plants from severe frost.
How easy
Moderate
Safety
Toxic: The deep taproot and other parts contain irritant compounds that cause vomiting when ingested; it was used as a local emetic substitute for ipecac syrup, so accidental ingestion is harmful.
Native range
E. U.S.A.
Climate
temperate

About

Euphorbia ipecacuanhae, known by the common names of Carolina ipecac, American ipecac, and ipecac spurge, is a member of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae. It is a perennial herb, native to the seaboard of the eastern United States, from South Carolina to Long Island.

Though it is not closely related to its namesake, Carapichea ipecacuanha, it was often used for the same purpose, with the deep taproot used to create a powerful emetic as a local substitute for imported syrup of ipecac.

Other Euphorbia plants

Marble Canyon spurge · Abd Al Kuri Euphorbia · Euphorbia abdita · Euphorbia abdulghafooriana · Abram's Spurge · Desert Candle · Euphorbia acalyphoides · Greek Spiny Spurge · Euphorbia actinoclada · Pointed Sandmat · Euphorbia adenopoda · Miniature Saguaro

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Euphorbia ipecacuanhae by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.

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