Euphorbia

What an interesting group of plants the Euphorbias are! Often called the Spurge family, plants in this group have widely varied forms, from leafy to cactus-like, and their stems and leaves, if broken, will bleed a milky white latex-like sap that is a skin irritant and dangerous if it gets in the eyes. We label all plants in this group poisonous for that reason, but we think they are worth the extra hand-washing to grow and enjoy! The name spurge comes from the old English/old French word "espurge" due to the sap's ancient use as a purgative, though we do NOT recommend it for this purpose, as it purges due to is toxicity!