Bog Spurge is an upright herbaceous perennial in the spurge family (Euphorbiaceae) that has chartreuse leaves and flowers. It typically grows 2 to 3 feet tall,but sometimes you will find it taller. It is native to marshlands in Europe and Western Asia. The specific epithet, palustris, means marsh-loving. Plant in full to partial shade in well-drained, moist to wet soils. It will adapt to various soil types. It tolerates browsing by deer and rabbits and tolerates drought, wet soils, and shallow-rocky soils. Plants may sometimes show some stress in hot and humid summers. Bog spurge can be propagated by seeds, stem cuttings, or division in the early spring. The foliage is a medium green, but transitions to yellow or orange in the fall. The flowers are clusters of greenish-yellow blooms that appear in the late spring and early summer. Mass plant it in a border or let it naturalize in a cottage, woodland, or rain garden. Insects, Diseases and Other Plant Problems: Bog spurge has no serious insect or disease problems. Monitor for aphids, mealybugs, nematodes and spider mites. As with all euphorbias, bog spurge exudes a milky sap from the stems and leaves that can be toxic. Monitor in the presence of children or pets. Some people experience skin rashes or eye irritation from contact with the toxic sticky plant sap of euphorbias. Wear protective gloves when handling this plant. VIDEO Created by Laura Barth for "Houseplants, Succulents, and Cacti," a plant identification course offered in partnership with Longwood Gardens. More information on Euphorbia .
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Sand; Shallow Rocky
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Alkaline (>8.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasional Flooding | Occasionally Wet
Available space
12 inches-3 feet
NC region
Coastal; Mountains; Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 2 ft. 0 in. - 3 ft. 0 in. | Width: 2 ft. 0 in. - 3 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Rapid
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
4 - Herbaceous (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Clumping; Erect
Texture
Medium
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Opposite
Leaf shape
Elliptical
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf feel
Soft
Leaf value
Showy
Leaf size
1-3 inches long, < 1 inch wide
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Medium green elliptical leaves 2"-3" long. Yellow/orange/red fall color.
Fall color
Gold/Yellow; Orange; Red/Burgundy
Flower color
Gold/Yellow; Green
Flower value
Showy
Flower size
3-6 inches
Flower detail
Chartreuse flowers that lack petals or sepals bloom late spring to early summer and are not particularly showy on their own. But, the flowers are shaped in large 6" wide clusters known as cyathium which are surrounded by large, long-lasting, greenish-yellow bracts which are exceptionally showy. The flower color comes from these bracts.
Bloom time
Spring; Summer
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
Europe to Western Asia
Distribution
Native: Albania, Austria, Baltic States, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Central European Russia, Czechoslovakia, Denmar, East European Russia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, North Caucasus, Northwest European Russia, Norway, Poland, Romania, South European Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Transcaucasus, Turkey, Ukraine, West Siberia, Xinjiang, and Yugoslavia. Introduced: Great Britain.
Attracts
Butterflies
Play value
Easy to Grow
Food & Medicine
Edibility
Poisonous, if ingested.
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Meadow; Naturalized Area; Woodland
Landscape theme
Cottage Garden; Rain Garden; Rock Garden
Design feature
Accent; Border; Mass Planting; Small groups; Specimen
Garden tags
#rabbit resistant #wet soils tolerant #rocky soils tolerant #border planting #naturalized area #chartreuse #cottage garden #rain garden #deer resistant #clumping #flowers late spring #flowers early summer #boggy sites #meadow #problem for children #problem for dogs #problem for cats #woodland #herbaceous perennial #low maintenance #contact dermatitis #poisonous #poisonous if ingested #fall color #fast growing
Problems & Resistance
Problems
Contact Dermatitis; Poisonous to Humans; Problem for Cats; Problem for Children; Problem for Dogs
Resistant to
Deer; Drought; Poor Soil; Rabbits; Wet Soil
Particularly resistant to
Tolerant of wet soils and rocky soils and are not often visited by deer or rabbits.
Propagation
Division; Seed; Stem Cutting
Poison severity
Low
Poison parts
Leaves; Sap/Juice; Stems
Poison symptoms
The milky white latex sap found in all plant parts can cause mild to severe contact dermatitis. If contact with the eyes occurs the sap can cause temporary to permanent damage to the cornea. If eaten, blistering can occur on lips and oral mucosa. Avoid ingesting plant parts and keep plants away from pets and children.