Caper Spurge - Euphorbia lathyris
Medium to tall, hairless, erect, often bluish green plant to 1.5 metres. Leaves opposite, linear to oblong, untoothed and unstalked. Bracts oval-triangular, pointed, bright green. Umbels with 2 to 6 main rays, capsule 13 to 17 mm smooth.
Disturbed ground and waste places, gardens.
June and July.
Biennial.
Casual or established throughout Britain as far north as southern Scotland scarce in Wales.
Local and probably increasing in Leicestershire and Rutland. In the Flora of Leicestershire (Primavesi and Evans 1988) it was found in 4 of the 617 tetrads.
In the current checklist (Jeeves, 2011) it is listed as Alien (archaeophyte); scarce
It was on the 2011 VC55 Rare Plant Register (Jeeves, 2011) but was under-recorded. It is found in more sites than previously known, and does not meet the criteria for the current RPR (Hall and Woodward, 2022)
 Drive to Springfield Farm Sapcote SP 4827 9273 (taken 23.7.2006)..JPG)
Graham Calow
Sapcote
23 July 2006
marianmarkham@btinternet.com
Munday's Close
25 April 2022
Graham Calow
Sapcote
14 May 2014
Ron.stevens
Broughton Astley
15 June 2011 Drive to Springfield Farm Sapcote SP 4827 9273 (taken 23.7.2006).JPG)
Graham Calow
Sapcote
23 July 2006
John Cranfield
Fleckney Garden1
16 August 2010
early growth
Ron.stevens
Broughton Astley
15 June 2011
David Gould
Ratby Meadow Lane, Enderby, Leics
26 July 2016
Ron.stevens
Broughton Astley
15 June 2011
Graham Calow
Frolesworth
15 June 2015
 Drive to Springfield Farm Sapcote SP 4827 9273 (taken 23.7.2006)..JPG)
 Drive to Springfield Farm Sapcote SP 4827 9273 (taken 23.7.2006).JPG)
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Species profile
- Common names
- Caper Spurge
- Species group:
- Wildflowers
- Kingdom:
- Plantae
- Order:
- Malpighiales
- Family:
- Euphorbiaceae
- Records on NatureSpot:
- 72
- First record:
- 23/07/2006 (Calow, Graham)
- Last record:
- 13/02/2025 (Pugh, Dylan)
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% of records within its species group
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