Cypress Spurge Noxious Weed

You’ve probably seen and yet not seen Cypress spurge weed for most of your life. It can be found anywhere there is sandy or gravelly soil. The plant is a definite blender so it’s easy to overlook; dotting pasturelands, roadsides, gardens and even cemeteries, earning it the nickname of graveyard spurge. Growing to between 12 to 18 inches tall, its yellow-green flowers fit perfectly into almost any landscape.

Many botanical gardens actually feature Cypress spurge weed and people pay admission to stroll through it. Many home gardens also feature the noxious weed after property owners stopping on roadsides to dig up the plant because they’ve been told it’s a quick-growing ground cover.

Quick-growing? Yes. Ground cover? Yes, but both attributes come at a cost since it’s a competitive weed on a mission to crowd out every other plant in its path and suck nutrients out of the soil. Cypress spurge is on List A of the Colorado Noxious Weed list and that means that some parts of the state may require eradication if it’s on your property.

Cypress Spurge Weed Description

The plant is a perennial that seems to die back in the late fall, but in reality, it’s just jettisoning extra bulk in order to overwinter more successfully.  A more robust plant sends out root runners in the spring and they, along with seeds sown in the previous late summer to early fall, add to the Cypress spurge weed population.

Caution should be exercised when handling the plant. All parts of Cypress spurge contain a milky sap that irritates skin. Pasture animals should not be allowed to graze where the plant is present because in large quantities the sap is toxic.

Spraytech, Colorado weed control professionals, can help you identify and eliminate Cypress spurge weed on your property. Call them at 720-248-0000 or request a quote for more information.