Description:
Leafy spurge is a perennial plant with erect stems 1.5 to three feet tall. These stems originate from a crown just below the soil surface. The plants begin growing in early spring, before their competitors, and tend to appear in patches. Alternate leaves, three inches in length and no more than 1/4 inch wide, crowd along the stem; they are yellow-green from mid-summer to fall, when they turn red with the first frost. Leaves, stems, and roots all exude a milky, irritating sap when broken. In late May or early June, showy yellow bracts appear toward the tips of the short terminal branches, followed in a week or two by inconspicuous small green flowers without petals. Seed production takes about a month and continues until cold weather. Seeds, borne three to a capsule, are about 1/10 inch in diameter, gray to brown in color and often flecked with yellow. The seeds can be shot 20 or more feet when the capsule ripens and explodes. Another unique characteristic of leafy spurge, which contributes to the plants ability to persist once it invades an area, are numerous stem buds which cover the thick very invasive roots. These stem buds can initiate growth when broken into small segments by tillage and are transported by birds, grazing animals, or in soil.

• Mechanical: Intensive cultivation and the planting of competitive crops are useful methods for the control of leafy spurge in cultivated fields, but with heavy infestations on rangeland, the addition of chemicals and/or grazing sheep or goats is usually necessary to further diminish weed growth.
• Biological: The high cost, relative inefficiency, and environmental impact of herbicides have all contributed to a strong interest in natural control systems, such as insects, interspecific competition, and grazing animals. Studies nearly 50 years ago reported that three or more years of continuous sheep grazing significantly reduced the density of established leafy spurge growth.
• Herbicide: Herbicides are commonly used to control or limit the spread of leafy spurge, but this practice is far from a complete answer. Numerous selective and non-selective herbicides in various combinations or sequences applied with specialized equipment have been evaluated over the years. Some formulations do a good job of controlling top growth but do not effectively kill roots; all are expensive. Refer to the State Noxious Weed Control Board site

For More Information:
Detailed information about Leafy Spurge is available at the Washington State Noxious Weed Control Board Web Site.