How to Identify Spurge
Spotted spurge (Euphorbia maculata) and prostrate spurge (Euphorbia supina) are the two most common lawn species. Both grow as flat, mat-forming plants that press tight against the ground, spreading outward from a central taproot. The leaves are small (quarter-inch), oval, and arranged in opposite pairs along reddish stems.
The definitive identification test: break a stem. If it oozes milky white sap, it’s spurge. This latex-like sap is present in all Euphorbia species and distinguishes spurge from any lookalike. Spotted spurge has a dark reddish-brown spot in the center of each leaf; prostrate spurge typically lacks this spot but is otherwise identical in growth habit.
Where and Why It Grows
Spurge thrives in the conditions your lawn grass hates: hot surfaces, thin turf, drought stress, and compacted soil. It’s common along driveways and sidewalks where radiated heat creates a microclimate too harsh for grass. It fills every crack and bare patch that summer stress opens up.
Each plant produces thousands of seeds from tiny flowers that are barely visible. The seeds are expelled from small pods that pop open when ripe, scattering seed several feet from the parent plant. Because it’s an annual, it dies with the first frost, but the seed bank it builds each summer means increasing populations year after year without treatment.
