I’M A WEED

Sea Spurge

Sea Spurge

Euphorbia paralias

Erect, stiff perennial herb with multiple stems to 0.7 m arising from a long strong tap root. Bright green leaves, often tinged with red, are thick and fleshy, crowded along stems. Flowers from September to May.  Common in foredunes.

Threat / Problem
• Spreads rapidly forming dense patches in dunes and salt marshes, displacing native vegetation and has properties that inhibit germination of native plants
• Can change the shape of dunes making them more prone to erosion and impacting beachnesting birds
• Produces toxic milky sap that irritates the skin and eyes

Spread
• Seeds scatter when ripe fruits burst open, also spread by vehicles, birds, ants and garden waste dumping. E. paralias seeds are very salt tolerant and buoyant. Seeds may be viable for up to 2 years in salt water.

Control
• Hand pull (wear protective clothing). Ensure taproot is removed. Spray with broadleaf herbicide while actively growing.

Sea Spurge

GROW ME INSTEAD

Pale Turpentine Bush

Pale Turpentine Bush

Beyeria lechenaultii

Slender, erect shrub, 0.5-1.5 m high, leaves very variable (long and thin), 0.5-4 cm long by 0.1-0.7 cm wide, with blunt to rounded tips, down-curved margins, shiny green above, white-woolly beneath.

Male and female flowers without petals, occur on separate plants. Male flowers are small, light-green to yellow or white, in groups of 1-3 with numerous stamens. Female flowers singular from August to December. Fruit are globular capsules 0.6-0.7 cm long with up to three seeds.

Common along the coast, forming a low shrub layer or scattered under mallee in hills.

Pale Turpentine Bush