Weed Information: Euphorbia marginata (snow-on-the-mountain)
Back to Plant List

Euphorbia marginata (snow-on-the-mountain)

Family: Euphorbiaceae

Description

This robust annual can reach over 3 feet in height and is often cultivated for its showy, white-margined leaves. It can be found in pastures and waste areas as well as urban areas. Some people suffer a dermal-toxic reaction to this species. It is toxic to livestock.

Characteristics

Flower Color
  • Green
  • White
  • Multi-colored
Inflorescence Type (How the flowers are arranged on the plant)
  • Corymb
  • Cyme (simple or branched)
  • Simple umbel
Number of Petals
  • 0 (no petals)
Flower Symmetry
  • Flowers regular
Flower Length (Head length in the Asteraceae)
  • 4 mm (.16 inch)
  • 5 mm (.20 inch)
  • 6 mm (.24 inch)
Flower Width (Head width in the Asteraceae)
  • 5 mm (.20 inch)
  • 6 mm (.24 inch)
  • 7 mm (.28 inch)
  • 8 mm (.32 inch)
  • 9 mm (.36 inch)
  • 1.0 cm (.40 inch)
Number of Sepals
  • sepals lacking
Flower Sex
  • Unisexual (monoecious or dioecious)
  • Bisexual (perfect)
Number of Styles
  • Styles lacking (male flowers only)
  • 3 styles
Number of Stamens
  • stamens lacking (female flowers only)
  • 1 stamen
Stamens Attached to the Petals
  • Stamens NOT attached to the petals
Stamens Connate (united)
  • Filaments or anthers NOT united

Carpel Separation
  • Carpels united (or one)
Number of Carpels
  • 0 (male flowers only or plants producing spores)
  • 3 carpels
Ovary Position
  • Superior (hypogynous)
Fruit Type
  • Capsule, 3-celled
Fruit Length at Maturity
  • 4 mm (.16 inch)
  • 5 mm (.20 inch)
  • 6 mm (.24 inch)
Fruit Width at Maturity
  • 4 mm (.16 inch)
  • 5 mm (.20 inch)
  • 6 mm (.24 inch)
Burs
  • Fruit or seed NOT bur-like

Leaf Arrangement
  • Alternate
  • Opposite
  • Whorled 3 per node
Leaf Type
  • Simple (including lobed leaves)
Stipules
  • Foliaceous < 2 mm (< .08 inch) long
  • Lacking
Tendrils
  • Tendrils absent
Venation
  • Pinnate
Petiole (leaf stem) Blade Ratio
  • Petiole absent (leaf sessile)
Leaf Length (blade PLUS petiole)
  • 2 - 4 cm (.80 - 1.60 inches)
  • 4 - 10 cm (1.60 - 4.0 inches)
Leaf Width
  • 5 - 10 mm (.20 - .40 inch)
  • 1 - 2 cm (.40 - .80 inch)
Leaf Shape (simple leaves only)
  • Elliptic
  • Oblong
  • Ovate
Succulence
  • Succulent
Leaf or Leaflet Margin
  • Entire
Leaf or Leaflet Blade Base
  • Rounded
Leaf or Leaflet Tip
  • Acute
Leaf or Leaflet Blade Surface
  • Glabrous (NO hairs)
  • Sericeous or villous (silky)
  • Villous or sericious (silky)

Milky Juice
  • Juice milky
Woodiness
  • Herbaceous
Spines or Thorns
  • Spines or Thorns ABSENT
Aromatic (vegetative structures)
  • Not aromatic
Life Cycle
  • Annual
Growth Habit (while flowering)
  • Erect, columnar (narrow)
Plant Height at Maturity
  • 2 - 4 dm (8.0 - 16.0 inches)
  • 4 - 6 dm (1.3 - 2.0 feet)
  • 6 - 8 dm (2.0 - 2.6 feet)
  • 8 - 10 dm (2.6 - 3.3 feet)
Wind Dissemination
  • Not wind disseminated
Moisture Regime
  • Mesic
Chlorophyll
  • Present

Stem Cross Section
  • Round
Flowering Stem Leaves
  • Stem uniformly leafy
Main Stem Branches
  • Main stem branched

Root or Vegetative Propagule
  • Tap Root

US State
  • Alabama
  • Arkansas
  • Connecticut
  • Delaware
  • Florida
  • Georgia
  • Illinois
  • Kansas
  • Kentucky
  • Louisiana
  • Massachusetts
  • Michigan
  • Missouri
  • Mississippi
  • North Carolina
  • New Hampshire
  • New Jersey
  • New York
  • Ohio
  • Pennsylvania
  • South Carolina
  • Tennessee
  • Texas
  • Virginia
  • Wisconsin
  • West Virginia
  • Indiana
  • Maryland
  • Rhode Island
  • Vermont
  • Arizona
  • California
  • Colorado
  • Iowa
  • Minnesota
  • Montana
  • North Dakota
  • New Mexico
  • Oklahoma
  • South Dakota
  • Utah
  • Wyoming
  • Nebraska
Other
  • District of Columbia
Canadian Province or Territory
  • Ontario
  • Quebec
  • Manitoba

  • Field Guide To The Common Weeds Of Kansas, 1983 (ISBN 0-7006-0233-X) See page: 75
  • How to Know the Weeds, 1972, (ISBN# 0-697-04880-2) See page: 48
  • Nebraska Weeds, 1979 Nebraska Dept. of Ag., Lincoln NE, See page: 100
  • South Dakota Weeds, 1967 South Dakota State University, See page: 116
  • South Dakota Weeds 2002 South Dakota Dept. of Ag. 523 E. Capitol, Foss Bldg. Pierre, South Dakota 57501 See page: 135
  • S.W.S.S. Weed ID Guide, 1993 Section Number and Five letter code: 7 EPHMG
  • Weed Seeds of the Great Plains, 1993 University of Kansas# 92-125-B ISBN# 0-7006-0651-3 See index #: 127
  • Weeds, 1955 (1980) Walter Conrad Muenscher, ISBN# 0-8014-1266-8 See page: 304
  • Weeds of Colorado, 1990 Cooperative Extension, Colorado State Univ. Bulletin 521A, See page: 100
  • Weeds of Nebraska and the Great Plains, 1994 (ISBN 0939870-00-4) See page: 296
  • Weeds of the Midwestern United States & Central Canada, University of Georgia 2010, ISBN#0-8203-3506-1 See page: 215
  • Weeds of the North Central States, 1981 Univ. of Illinois, Urbana - Champaign Bulletin # 772, See page: 120
  • Weeds of the Northeast, 1956, Univ. of Delaware Field Manual #1 See species #: 184
  • Weeds of the South, University of Georgia 2009, ISBN#0-8203-3046-9 See page: 195
  • Weeds of Utah, 1971 UAES Special Report 21, See page: 56
  • Listed as a `Weed` by the Biota of North America Program, 2008 x
  • Listed in the WSSA Composite List of Weeds X
Back to Plant List