Plants of South Eastern New South Wales

Euphorbia drummondii

Flowering and seeding stems. Photographer Don Wood, Scotia Sanctuary, western NSW 

Flowering and seeding plant. Photographer Don Wood, Bungonia State conservation Area east of Goulburn.

Common name

Caustic Weed, Spurgewort, Balsam, Creeping Caustic, Mat Spurge, Flat Spurge, Milkweed, Caustic Creeper

Family

Euphorbiaceae

Where found

Woodland, grassy areas, and disturbed sites. Usually grows in drier sites than Euphorbia dallachyana. Western Slopes, ACT and tablelands. Sydney area and the mountains to the west. Occasional elsewhere.

Notes

Annual or short lived perennial herb, prostrate to almost erect, stems mostly to 0.3m long.  Stems hairless, usually red.  Leaves opposite each other, 0.2-1 cm long, 1.5-5 mm wide, surfaces hairless, with no spots, margins entire or toothed, tips blunt or notched. Stipules of paired leaves united between the leaf stalks, forming a sheath at the base.  Male and female flowers on the same plant.  Flowers tiny, with 0 petals, and red glands, usually with narrow red, pink or white petal-like appendages. Flowers in small clusters that look like a single flower, each cluster with several male flowers surrounding 1 female flower. Flowers spring-summer. No appendage at the base of the seed cases.

Was Chamaesyce drummondii.

PlantNET description:  http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Euphorbia~drummondii  (accessed 22 January, 2021)