Quote:
Originally Posted by sturmanskie
Hello,
This is a first post! I'm hoping someone with some expertise would be able to solve something for me?
I have had a group of strange plants growing at the front of my house which looked really unusual so last year I dug one of them up and re potted in the garden (as they look like they are taking over - after one year roots were about 3cm thick).
Everyone who sees it comments on how unusual it is but nobody seems to know WHAT it is - and I suspect its something sinister ;-)
Some more info: They have just began to flower this year and when leaves / branches are cut they secrete a lot of milk! Also when i cut branches or leaves off; the surrounding leaves quickly droop for a couple of days then recover.
Thanks.
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Euphorbia lathyris, Caper Spurge, relative of Poinsettia, believed by some to deter moles.
The common name is because the seed capsules look a bit like capers, but the plant is poisonous, and the sap can cause skin rashes.
In the north of England its a biennial, flowering the second year and then dying off. I think in the south it may be perennial.
The flowers are interesting if you look closely - a ring of male "flowers" with the female "flower" a sort of ball on a stalk, which later enlarges as the seed capsule.
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