Euphorbia terracina
Geraldton carnation weed
(c) Steve Matson, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Steve Matson · licence
Family: Euphorbiaceae · Type: Herb · Not Native
Conservation status: Cal-IPC Yes
Euphorbia terracina (Geraldton carnation weed) is a non-native California herb in the Euphorbiaceae family, recognized by tall habit with thread-like gland horns diagnostic.
Geraldton carnation weed is a naturalized perennial herb found in southern California coastal areas in disturbed locations, sandy soils, seeps, and ocean bluffs at elevations below 160 meters. Flowering from March to July, this plant produces small, inconspicuous flowers in clusters with distinctive leafy bracts. Growing with ascending to erect stems 30 to 80 centimeters tall, it emerges several stems from the base with a glabrous appearance. Its leaves are linear to narrowly lanceolate, 2.5 to 6 centimeters long, with fine serrations and occasional larger marginal teeth, with distal leaves forming distinctive whorls. The fruit is a deeply lobed, depressed spherical structure approximately 4 to 5 millimeters wide, containing smooth gray to whitish seeds.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 17 sympatric species; tall habit with thread-like gland horns diagnostic
Habitat and range
Habitat: Disturbed areas near habitations, sandy soil, seeps, ocean bluffs
Elevation: < 160 m
California counties: Ventura, Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Barbara
Outside California: native to Europe
Bloom period
Euphorbia terracina blooms Mar-Jul.
Conservation status
Cal-IPC Yes
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 terracina native to California?
No. Euphorbia terracina is not native to California (recorded as not native).
When does Euphorbia terracina bloom?
Euphorbia terracina blooms Mar-Jul.
Where in California does Euphorbia terracina grow?
Euphorbia terracina occurs in Ventura, Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Barbara, at elevations of < 160 m.
What plant family does Euphorbia terracina belong to?
Euphorbia terracina is in the Euphorbiaceae family, genus Euphorbia.
Is Euphorbia terracina invasive in California?
Euphorbia terracina is listed by Cal-IPC with an invasiveness rating of Yes.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · 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.