[/ATTACH] Can anyone help identify a strange plant growing in my garden in south west Scotland? It is now approximately 4 and a half foot high - it looked intriguing so I let it carry on growing - and when a bit is broken off, there is a white, milky-looking sap (irritant maybe?). It's not very pretty so I think it'll have to go, but didn't want to do this just yet, in case it's the last one in the world! The soft leaves grow straight from the stem (no stalks), and the insignificant yellow flowers now seem to have turned into seed pods.
No it is not a triffid! Just Euphorbia lathyris. Common name caper spurge. http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgu...-gb:IE-SearchBox&rlz=1I7SUNA_en-GB&tbs=isch:1 Be very careful of the white latex sap. See... http://www.euphorbia.de/giftstart_e.htm
Very nearly a triffid though - it has caustic skin-burning sap, and is often a very aggressive weed . . . I'd recommend wearing gloves when pulling it up.
Thanks for the advice. Pulled it up yesterday and used gloves. Unfortunately, prior to that (when I had picked a piece to bring to the computer, so I could describe it properly!) I must have got some on my right hand as it has kicked off my dermititis. Nothing like learning the hard way!
