Stem

  • Up to 3 ft. tall; branched; base of plant often woody; entire plant contains milky white sap
Photo of a green stem

Leaves

  • Mostly alternate, strap-like (linear), 1-2 in. long, 0.2 in. wide and lack hair (glabrous); NO leaf stem (petiole); smooth edges (margins)
  • Stems have very few leaves; typically small and oval to strap-like (linear) with toothed to lobed edges.
Photo of leafy spurge yellow and green flowers
 

Flower

  • Small, showy, green to yellow and clustered at tips of stems; bracts below flowers are heart- to kidney-shaped and have the appearance of flower petals 
  • Produces a spherical capsule with 3 chambers, each containing one seed
Photo of leafy spurge flowers

Root

  • Creeping, deep root system; new shoots arise from pinkish buds
Photo of leafy spurge plant with green leaves and yellow flowers

Other

  • Grows well across a wide range of sites; often found in pastures, waste areas, rangelands, field borders and along waterways; known to occur in Elko, Humboldt, Washoe and White Pine counties
  • Perennial; reproduces by seed and roots; sap can irritate skin, eyes and the digestive tracts of humans and animals; sheep and goats are immune
Photo of a field of leafy spurge plants outside
 

Control

  • Mechanical control (mowing, burning, tillage and grazing) can reduce seed production but are often NOT effective due to new shoot growth from roots 
  • Several biological control agents are available
  • Apply 2,4-D, dicamba or glyphosate to actively growing plants through early bloom; picloram throughout the growing season; imazapic in fall after a killing frost but before loss of milky sap 
Blecker, L., Creech, E., Dick, J., Gephart, S., Hefner, M., Kratsch, H., Moe, A., Schultz, B. 2020, Nevada Noxious Weed Field Guide – Leafy spurge, Extension, University of Nevada, Reno, Field Guide

Learn more about the author(s)

Heidi Kratsch
Heidi Kratsch
 

Also of Interest:

 
Photo of leafy spurge plant with flowers
Nevada Noxious Weed Field Guide – Leafy spurge
Leafy spurge is a noxious weed that has been identified by the state of Nevada to be harmful to agriculture, the general public, or the environment. Learn more about this weed.
 Blecker, L., Creech, E., Dick, J., Gephart, S., Hefner, M., Kratsch, H., Moe, A., Schultz, B. 2020, Extension, University of Nevada, Reno, Field Guide