Spotted Spurge
Euphorbia maculata
Spotted spurge is a low, fast-spreading summer weed that forms flat mats with small reddish-spotted leaves and a milky sap, common in lawns, sidewalks and gardens.
- Light
- Full sun
- Water
- Low; very drought-tolerant
- Difficulty
- Easy
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Overview
Spotted spurge (Euphorbia maculata, formerly Chamaesyce maculata) is a prostrate, mat-forming summer annual native to North America. It is one of the most familiar weeds of lawns, cracks in pavement, gardens and other warm, dry, disturbed places.
Like other spurges it exudes a milky white latex when broken. Its rapid germination, low spreading habit and prolific seeding make it a persistent nuisance in turf and landscapes.
How to identify it
A flat, ground-hugging annual forming dense circular mats only a few millimeters tall.
- Leaves: small, oval, paired (opposite), often bearing a distinctive reddish-purple spot in the center
- Stems: slender, pinkish-red, radiating from a central taproot and exuding milky sap when cut
- Flowers: tiny, inconspicuous, in leaf axils
- Habit: prostrate mats that root only at the central crown, hugging the soil surface
Care & growing
A weed rather than a garden plant; the goal is usually control.
- Light: full sun and hot conditions favor it
- Water: extremely drought-tolerant; thrives where other plants struggle
- Soil: any, including compacted, poor and gravelly ground
- Temperature: warm-season annual germinating once soils warm
- Propagation: by seed only, but a single plant produces thousands
Control by hand-pulling young plants before they seed (gloves help keep the sap off your hands), maintaining dense turf, mulching beds and using pre-emergent herbicides.
Habitat & origin
Native to North America, spotted spurge has spread as a weed across temperate and warm regions worldwide. It thrives in hot, dry, disturbed sites — lawns, sidewalk cracks, driveways, gardens, nursery containers and waste ground.
Its heat and drought tolerance let it flourish in compacted, sun-baked soils where many plants fail.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get rid of spotted spurge in my lawn?
Pull young plants before they set seed, keep turf dense and well-watered, mulch garden beds, and apply pre-emergent herbicide in spring to stop germination.
Why does spotted spurge have a spot?
Many plants carry a characteristic reddish-purple blotch in the center of each small leaf, which gives the species its common name.
What's the milky sap?
It is a milky white latex typical of the spurge family that oozes from cut stems and leaves, a useful clue for identifying the plant.
How can I tell spotted spurge from other lawn weeds?
Look for flat, ground-hugging circular mats of small paired leaves, slender pinkish-red stems radiating from one central taproot, and milky sap when a stem is broken.
Spotted Spurge guides
In-depth guides for identifying, growing, and caring for Spotted Spurge.
