Flowering Spurge

Perennial  •  $6, 4-inch pot

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Height	2 to 3 ft
Spacing	1 to 2 ft
Sun Exposure	Full to Part Sun
Soil Moisture	Medium to Dry
Bloom Color	White
Bloom Time	July, Aug
Companion Plantings	Anise Hyssop, Stiff Gentian, Button Blazing Star, Little Bluestem
Special Attributes

Euphorbia corollata

This perennial member of the spurge family (Euphorbiaceae) grows in nearly any type of well-drained soil, including clay or rocky sites. Flowering Spurge grows from a central taproot, so it is not aggressive like some other perennial forbs; this characteristic also makes it very drought tolerant. The numerous small white flowers resemble Baby’s Breath and this would make a great native replacement for that commonly cultivated exotic plant.

Many pollinators visit these blooms in late summer seeking both pollen and nectar, including many types of pollinating wasps, Halictid bees, flies, and many small butterflies, including most notably the endangered Karner Blue butterfly. Many birds also eat the seeds, including the Mourning Dove, Horned Lark, and Wild Turkey. Flowering Spurge is host to around 10 butterfly and moth species in the Southern Indiana/Louisville area, including the stunning Giant Leopard Moth (pictured) and the Io Moth. As with most members of the spurge family, the stems contain a milky sap that is irritating to mammalian herbivores, so rabbit and deer leave this plant alone. This is overall an incredible plant to have for wildlife that is essentially care-free once established.

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