Thyme-leafed spurge
Chamaesyce serpyllifolia
Summary 8
Euphorbia serpyllifolia, commonly known as thyme-leafed spurge or thymeleaf sandmat, is part of the euphorb family and is native to most of North America. The plant is used among a number of Native American tribes and is sometimes also chewed for its sweet taste.
Botanical Information 9
Spurge is also known as a milkweed and its scientific name is Euphorbia serpyllifolia. The most common Spurge in the Rio Grande Bosque is Thyme-leaf Spurge with the botanical name Chamaesyce serpyllifolia or Euphorbia serpillifolia.
Ecological Information 10
Spruge can adapt to a wide range of conditions from moist to dry. The only animals that can eat spurge are sheep and goats.
Ethnobotanical Information 10
Spurge is poisonous, so don’t eat it. It has been used medicinally in the past, but is not recommended due to strong reactions.
References 9
bioweb.edu
cwma.org
itisreport.gov
About the Author 10
Student author(s)*: Daniel and Erwin (age 13) from South Valley Academy
*The entries in this field guide have been edited by Yerba Mansa Project staff to ensure that they contain quality, fact-checked content and standardized formatting.
Sources and Credits
- (c) Matt Lavin, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/plant_diversity/4032128870/
- (c) Jim Morefield, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/127605180@N04/16659137741/
- (c) Andrey Zharkikh, some rights reserved (CC BY), https://www.flickr.com/photos/zharkikh/8172767383/
- (c) Jim Morefield, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/127605180@N04/16474385509/
- (c) Matt Lavin, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/plant_diversity/4032128422/
- (c) Andrey Zharkikh, some rights reserved (CC BY), https://www.flickr.com/photos/zharkikh/8172766581/
- (c) Jim Morefield, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/127605180@N04/16659137741/
- Adapted by caseynm from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphorbia
- Adapted by smiller33 from a work by (c) kristen_himm, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
- (c) smiller33, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
More Info
- iNat taxon page
- Biodiversity Heritage Library
- BOLD Systems BIN search
- Calflora
- CalPhotos
- eFloras.org
- Flora of North America (beta)
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
- Go Botany
- HOSTS - a Database of the World's Lepidopteran Hostplants
- IPNI (with links to POWO, WFO, and BHL)
- Jepson eFlora
- NatureServe Explorer 2.0
- OregonFlora.org
- SEINet Symbiota portals
- Tropicos
- USDA PLANTS database
- VASCAN by Canadensys
- World Flora Online
