Euphorbia cyathophora
Painted leaf, Painted Leaf
(c) Ben Machado, some rights reserved (CC BY) · licence
Family: Euphorbiaceae · Type: Herb · Not Native
Euphorbia cyathophora (Painted leaf) is a non-native California herb in the Euphorbiaceae family, recognized by red bracts and large size.
Painted leaf is a naturalized annual found in San Diego in disturbed sites near human habitation at an elevation of 110 meters. Flowering in July, this plant produces green and red bracts surrounding small flower clusters with distinctive color variations. Growing with erect stems 30 to 80 centimeters tall that branch and spread upward, it develops alternate leaves that are narrowly lanceolate to obovate, ranging 5 to 10 centimeters long. Its leaves are often slightly lobed or finely serrate, appearing smooth and glabrous with an elegant form. The fruit is round and lobed, measuring 4 to 5 millimeters across with evenly textured seeds.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 17 sympatric species; red bracts and large size are diagnostic
Habitat and range
Habitat: Disturbed sites near human habitation
Elevation: 110 m
Outside California: native to eastern United States, Mexico, Central America, South America
Bloom period
Euphorbia cyathophora blooms Jul.
How to tell it apart
vs Croton: Euphorbia bleeds milky white latex and packs its flowers into a tiny cup (cyathium) rimmed with nectar glands; Croton has watery sap, stellate or scaly hairs, and ordinary small separate male and female flowers.; vs Stillingia: Euphorbia flowers sit in a gland-bearing cyathium; Stillingia bears its flowers in a spike with a pair of glands flanking each subtending bract and has no cyathium cup.; vs Ditaxis: Euphorbia has latex and the cyathium; Ditaxis has clear sap, 5-parted petaled male and female flowers, and 2-forked (malpighiaceous) hairs.; vs Asclepias: Both ooze milky sap, but Euphorbia's minute flowers cluster in a cyathium and ripen into a 3-lobed capsule; milkweeds have showy 5-parted flowers with a crown and paired follicles of plumed seeds.; vs Polygonum: Prostrate mat spurges leak milky sap when torn and have paired stipules with opposite leaves at the nodes; knotweeds have clear sap and a papery sheath (ocrea) wrapping each node.
Frequently asked questions
Is Euphorbia cyathophora native to California?
No. Euphorbia cyathophora is not native to California (recorded as not native).
When does Euphorbia cyathophora bloom?
Euphorbia cyathophora blooms Jul.
What plant family does Euphorbia cyathophora belong to?
Euphorbia cyathophora is in the Euphorbiaceae family, genus Euphorbia.
What habitat does Euphorbia cyathophora grow in?
Euphorbia cyathophora grows in Disturbed sites near human habitation.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.