Planteværn Online > Skadevoldere - Weed biology<br> <sub>Agro-region: Denmark</sub> - Sun Spurge

Crop Protection Online

26.4 2024

Weed biology
_{Agro-region: Denmark}

Sun Spurge

Can be mistaken for

Field Penny-cress, which has no latex.

Petty Spurge, which has somewhat smaller dicotyledon leaves and true leaves.

Characteristics

Cotyledons
Oval with entire leaf margins. Stalked. Smooth surface. Length approx. 6-12 mm.

True leaves
Inverted egg-shaped with finely toothed leaf margins on the extreme parts of the leaf. Unstalked. Smooth surface. The true leaves contain latex, which can be seen by squeezing a torn-off leaf. Length approx. 8-11 mm.

Mature plant
Sun Spurge is a medium-sized, 10-40 cm high plant, which is known by the arrangement of the flowers in umbel-like inflorescences. The entire plant contains large amounts of latex. Seed production:Up to approx. 650 seeds per plant.

Seed
Egg-shaped to oval in circumference with a small tilted disc at one end. Circular cross section. Net-pitted surface. Thousand grain weight approx. 2.9 g.

Biology

Propagation and dispersal
Only through seeds.

Habit
Summer annual.

Importance

The species is found throughout Denmark, mainly in open and/or late-sown spring crops. Sun Spurge is usually among the less important weed species.

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Taxonomy

Euphorbiceae.

Names in different languages

Danish :	Vortemælk, skærm
German :	Sonnenwendwolfsmilch
English :	Sun Spurge
Latin :	Euphorbia helioscopia L.
Norwegian :	Åkervortemjølk
Swedish :	Revormstörel

Seedling

Early stage

Flower

Mature plant

Seeds

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Weed biology Agro-region: Denmark