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Euphorbia esula · aukštoji karpažolė

  • Euphorbia waldsteinii
  • green spurge, leafy spurge
  • Esels-Wolfsmilch, Scharfe Wolfsmilch
  • aukštoji karpažolė, didžioji karpažolė
  • rīkšu dievkrēsliņš
  • wilczomlecz lancetowaty

It is a species of spurge native to central and southern Europe, and eastward through most of Asia north of the Himalaya to Korea and eastern Siberia. It can also be found in some parts of Alaska.

Euphorbia esula is a herbaceous perennial plant growing to 1-1.2 m tall, with several stems branched from the base. The stems are smooth, hairless, or slightly hairy. The leaves are small, lanceolate, 4-8.5 cm long and up to 1 cm broad, with a slightly wavy margin. The flowers are small, produced in umbels with a basal pair of bright yellow-green petal-like bracts. Clusters of the bracts appear in late spring, while the actual flowers do not develop until early summer. All parts of the plant contain a toxic white milky sap.

It reproduces readily like by seeds that have a high germination rate and may remain viable in the soil for at least eight years. The seed capsules open explosively, dispersing seed up to 5 m from the parent plant, and may be carried further by water and wildlife. Leafy spurge also spreads vegetatively from the root system, which is complex, reported to reach 8 m into the ground and 5 m across, and may have numerous buds.