Spotted spurge
Euphorbia maculata
Euphorbiaceae
Medicinal
Spotted spurge is generally a prostrate annual herb, with several stems up to 30 cm long and a taproot. It often forms dense mats, as can be seen in the image. The small leaves (3–8 mm long) have a characteristic reddish brown spot in the middle. Flowers are white to pink and very small (0.5 mm). Like many of the plants in the family Euphorbiaceae, the sap is a milky colour. The sap from Spotted spurge is known to cause irritation in some people. It is also reported to be poisonous to sheep. Sheep grazing in pastures where it is the predominant weed and have consumed as little as 0.62% of their body weight of this plant, have died within a few hours. Spotted spurge is a common weed in gardens, cultivated agricultural, roadsides, pastures, lawns, walkways, woodland, orchards and disturbed areas. It is a common weed of nurseries, where plants can quickly cover the surface of pots. Results from a study indicated that spotted spurge is likely to be allelopathic. It can tolerate a range of soil conditions, including compacted soils.
Floral nectar is reported to attract small bees, flower flies, and wasps. It is also reported to be a habitat for undesirable insects in citrus groves, and serves as an intermediate host for fungal diseases of cultivated crops, and attracts ants with its seed. Spotted spurge is a host for plant bugs from the Miridae family such as Lygus lineolaris (Tarnished plant bug). Semium hirtum and Spanagonicus albofasciatus (Whitemarked fleahopper). Animals recorded eating seeds from Spotted spurge include Ground dove, Mourning dove, Bobwhite quail, Gambel quail, Chestnut-bellied scaled quail, Painted bunting, Horned lark, American pipit, and Chipping sparrow, while a type of Antelope is reported to eat the.