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perennial

Mediterranean spurge

Euphorbia characias

Climate-suitable non-native

Growing guidance

Horticultural figures below are practitioner estimates for planning, pending expert review. The botanical record further down is sourced and verifiable.

Current-climate suitability

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Future-climate resilience

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Sun

Full sun

Soil moisture

free-draining, average

Heat tolerance

Up to about 44°C

Cold tolerance

Down to about -12°C

Waterlogging tolerance

1/5

Drought tolerance

5/5

Mature size

0.8–1.2 m tall, 1 m spread

Seasonal interest

Late winter to spring · Lime green

Maintenance

low

Wildlife supported

General wildlife value 3/5 (verified species relationships are shown only where structured data exists)

Known risks or warnings

Milky sap burns skin and eyes — wear gloves.

Toxicity: notable

Verified botanical record

Accepted scientific name
Euphorbia characias L.
Family
Euphorbiaceae (Malpighiales)
Rank and status
species · accepted
GBIF record
Taxon 3067353

Recorded as introduced in: Belgium, Brussels-Capital Region, England, Flemish Region, France, Germany, Great Britain, New Zealand North, New Zealand South, Scotland, The Netherlands, Wales and 1 further regions

Ranges are exactly as recorded in the GBIF source checklists and may be incomplete for widely cultivated species.

Euphorbia characias, the Mediterranean spurge is a species of flowering plant in the family Euphorbiaceae typical of the Mediterranean vegetation. It is an upright, compact evergreen shrub growing to 1.2 m (3 ft 11 in) tall and wide.

Description from Wikipedia — Euphorbia characias (CC BY-SA), shortened and unedited in substance.

Native status and geographic context

  • United Kingdom: climate-suitable
  • United States: climate-suitable
  • Australia: climate-suitable

Native status is never inferred from climate similarity. Plants restricted or invasive in a jurisdiction are excluded from recommendations there.

Demonstration data. Climate, plant and retailer records shown here are realistic samples awaiting horticultural validation and live data connections.