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Myrtle spurge

Euphorbia myrsinites

Also called Broad Leaved Glaucous Spurge, Blue Spurge, Creeping Spurge, Myrtle Euphorbia, Broadleaf Glaucous Spurge, Donkey Tail

Myrtle spurge
Photo: Stefan.lefnaer, CC BY-SA 4.0

Myrtle spurge is a low-growing, drought-tolerant succulent perennial grown for its blue-grey foliage and spring bracts. Its key to success is sharp drainage and full sun; it spreads by seed and can self-sow.

Family
Euphorbiaceae (Spurge family)
Grows as
Succulent
Light
Full sun
Water
Water deeply then let the soil dry out fully between waterings; avoid wet, soggy soil.
Soil
Free-draining, gritty or sandy soil; tolerates poor, dry soils.
Temperature
Hardy in cold winters to about -15 °C; protect potted plants from frost and wet cold.
How easy
Easy
Safety
Toxic: All parts contain milky latex that can irritate skin and eyes and cause stomach upset if eaten.
Native range
S. Europe to N. Iran
Climate
temperate

About

Euphorbia myrsinites, the myrtle spurge, blue spurge, or broad-leaved glaucous-spurge, is a succulent species of flowering plant in the spurge family Euphorbiaceae.

How to grow it

Euphorbia myrsinites is cultivated as an ornamental plant for its distinctive silver-gray foliage, and is used in garden borders, 'modernist' mass plantings, and as a potted plant. It is planted in drought tolerant gardens in California and other dry climates.

In the United Kingdom, the cultivated plant has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

Where it grows

The plant is native to southeastern Europe and Asia Minor, from the Balearic Islands and Italy east through the Balkans to Crimea, Turkey, the Caucasus, and Iran.

Other Euphorbia plants

Abd Al Kuri Euphorbia · Desert Candle · Greek Spiny Spurge · Euphorbia actinoclada · Miniature Saguaro · Pincushion Euphorbia · Euphorbia alcicornis · Euphorbia alfredii · Euphorbia ambarivatoensis · Euphorbia ambovombensis · African candelabra · Euphorbia ampliphylla

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Euphorbia myrsinites 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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