Upright Spurge (Nodding & Hyssop Spurge)

What it looks like

Unlike the flat, mat-forming spotted spurge, these spurges grow upright or leaning, often knee-high if left alone. Stems are reddish and branch in a zigzag, leaves are oblong, finely toothed and paired along the stem, and tiny white-and-green flower clusters sit at the branch tips. Snap a stem and it bleeds a milky white sap.

Often mistaken for: Spotted spurge (flat and mat-forming) or chamberbitter

When it shows up in the Triangle

A summer annual: it sprouts once the soil is warm in late spring and keeps growing and seeding through fall.

Where you’ll see it

Thin or stressed lawns, mulched beds, and cracks along driveways, sidewalks and decks, especially in hot, dry spots.

What you can do

• Pull it young, before the flower clusters at the tips set seed
• Wear gloves: the milky sap can irritate skin
• Keep the lawn thick so there is less bare soil for it to sprout in
• Mulch beds 2 to 3 inches deep
• Keep mowing regularly so it cannot flower and seed