Is this plant safe for pets?

No, the sap is toxic to dogs and cats and can cause severe irritation.

How do I get rid of it?

Pull it by hand before it sets seed, making sure to wear gloves to protect your skin from the sap.

Plant guide

Sun spurge.

Euphorbia helioscopia

Pronounced yoo-FOR-bee-uh hee-lee-oh-SKOH-pee-uh

Also known as Madwoman's milk, Madwoman’s milk, Sun Spurge

Sun spurge is a charming annual weed often found in disturbed soil and gardens. It is known for its unique flower heads that track the sun throughout the day. You will find it is quite resilient in various conditions.

At a glance

Care level: Easy
Plant type: Annual herb
Light: Full sun
Indoor light: Direct sun
Water: Every 3 to 7 days
Mature size: 12 to 20 inches
Growth rate: Fast
Hardiness: USDA 4 to 9
Bloom time: Late winter to mid summer

Care

This plant thrives in full sun and well drained soil. Keep an eye out for its rapid spread as it drops seeds easily. Wear gloves when handling to avoid contact with the irritating milky sap.

Watering: Keep the soil consistently moist but not waterlogged.
Feeding: A light application of balanced fertilizer during the growing season is sufficient.
Pruning: Remove spent flower heads to prevent unwanted self seeding.
Repotting: As an annual, this plant typically completes its life cycle within a year.
Soil: Well drained, fertile soil
Soil pH: 6.0 to 7.5
Temperature: -10 to 30°C
Humidity: 40 to 70%
Drought tolerance: Moderate
Lifespan: Annual, typically 1 year
Deer and rabbits: High

Safety

People: The milky sap is highly irritating to the skin and eyes and can cause severe blistering.
Pets: This plant is toxic to cats and dogs if ingested and the sap can cause skin irritation.
Children: Keep this plant away from children because the toxic sap causes painful skin rashes and eye damage upon contact.
Contact allergens: The white latex sap contains diterpene esters that cause contact dermatitis and severe eye irritation.
Airborne allergens: Pollen may cause mild respiratory irritation in sensitive individuals.
Edibility: This plant is toxic if ingested and should never be consumed.

How to identify it

Yellow green flower clusters
Serrated leaf margins
Milky white sap inside stems
Small rounded seed capsules

Height: 0.1 to 0.5m
Spread: 0.1 to 0.3m
Leaves: green, yellowish green, deciduous
Flowers: yellow, greenish yellow, 0.5 to 1cm
Fruit: green, brown, Summer

Problems to watch for

Powdery mildew · White fungal growth appears on leaves during periods of high humidity.

By symptom

Plant problems by symptom

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Growing it

Propagation: seed
When to plant: spring, autumn
Overwintering: The plant completes its life cycle in one season and dies back completely in winter, leaving seeds to germinate in spring.
In containers: It is not recommended for containers as it is an aggressive weed.

Seed

1. Collect mature seeds from the capsules in late summer.
2. Sow seeds directly into disturbed soil in autumn or spring.
3. Keep the soil lightly moist until germination occurs.

This plant is generally considered a weed and is best kept away from ornamental garden beds.

Grows well with

Common Poppy · They often grow together in disturbed meadow environments.

Similar species

Petty Spurge · It is a smaller, related weed that shares a similar growth habit.

Science

Family: Euphorbiaceae
Genus: Euphorbia
Order: Malpighiales
Class: Magnoliopsida
Native range: Europe, Northern Africa, and parts of Asia.
Conservation: This is a common weed and is not of conservation concern.

It thrives in disturbed soils and cultivated fields where it quickly colonizes open ground.

Value to wildlife: nectar source
Pollinators: bees, beetles
Uses: botanical interest, weed control research

Through the year

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Flowering

Fruiting

Foliage

Ecological indicators

Salinity: 2/9
Soil reaction: 6/9
Light: 7/9
Temperature: 5/9
Moisture: 5/9
Nutrients: 6/9

Taxonomy resolved against GBIF.

Questions people ask

Is this plant safe for pets?: No, the sap is toxic to dogs and cats and can cause severe irritation.
How do I get rid of it?: Pull it by hand before it sets seed, making sure to wear gloves to protect your skin from the sap.

Where the name comes from

The name helioscopia comes from Greek words meaning sun and to look at, referring to its heliotropic nature. Euphorbia honors Euphorbus, a physician to King Juba II of Mauretania.

Good to know

It is often called madwoman's milk due to the milky sap.
The plant is a common agricultural weed in many parts of the world.
It has been used in traditional medicine, though it is too dangerous for home use.

Also in

Plants toxic to cats and dogs

Keep your sun spurge growing

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This guide was generated with AI on October 19, 2026 and checked against GBIF taxonomy. It is general information, not horticultural or veterinary advice. Read about how we build these guides.