Please can you help me to identify this unusual plant. It is something that has self seeded and at first we thought might be a weed. It has grown with 1 Stem and has grown Narrow Green leaves with a lighter strip down the middle of the leaves at the bottom and has been interesting to see it grow in height from the stem which as grown new leaves (about two or three around the stem) to a height of approx three feet.Then The Stem has then branched out into several more stems at a height of about three feet with different coloured and shaped leaves to those on the one stem below and has bushed out to about a foot in diameter, It looks as though it might be coming into flower with lots of pod shaped bulbs growing on top of all of the new leaves. Can Anyone Identify it. We are in Great Malvern, Worcestershire, UK.
It's Euphorbia. Whether it's a weed or not is up to you and whether you like it. Many people plant it on purpose.
Many Thanks Lorax, Is It a particular species of Euphorbia and am I right in thinking it will flower. Now you have identified it, I have read that it is also a poisonous Plant, If I decide to remove it should care be taken off removing it with gloves and also care taking of disposing of it? If We decide to leave it, what steps should be taken after flowering? Will it just keep growing or does it need trimming? I Think it's unusual and Quite Pretty, but if it "Explodes" when seeding, maybe better to get rid of it ?
Check out E. lathyris, which is commonly known as Caper Spurge or Mole Plant. It's actually flowering right now - that's what those green 3-petalled things are in your second photo. If you do decide to remove it, wear rubber gloves. The latex is at least irritating and at worst can cause pretty ugly skin burns. If you keep it (and why not? It's pretty) then after it's finished flowering, deadhead it. It's a biennial.
Yep, Caper Spurge Euphorbia lathyris. Can be invasive - even if pretty, you might want to think carefully about letting it stay. The flowers are inconspicuous; the "pod shaped bulbs" are the seeds (so it may already be too late to stop an invasion!).
Ah yes I suddenly had this plant appear out of no-where.Took ages to identify,not easy until it flowered if you've never seen it before.I like it for the perfectly uniform way the leaves are arranged in a cruciform manner.However I think the seed pods explode,dispersing the seeds everywhere so they popped up everywhere.Still it's easy enough to remove and is a curiousity.
Thanks for your replies, I Have removed the plant as we have a curious West Highland Terrier and as the plant is highly toxic decided to remove it. It is amazing how nature works though, producing a single stem with the first leaves and then approx 3ft high produces different type of leaves and branches with the seed pods.
