Euphorbia marginata facts for kids
Euphorbia marginata is a pretty plant often called snow-on-the-mountain. It also has other fun names like smoke-on-the-prairie or whitemargined spurge. This plant is a small annual, which means it grows, flowers, and dies within one year. It belongs to the spurge family.
It naturally grows in many parts of North America, from Eastern Canada all the way to the Southwestern United States. You can also find it growing in much of China, where it was introduced.
The very first sample of this plant was collected a long time ago. It was found near the Yellowstone River in Rosebud County, Montana. This happened during the famous Lewis and Clark Expedition, collected by William Clark.
Quick facts for kids Euphorbia marginata |
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| Snow-on-the-mountain, Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Euphorbia
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| Species: |
marginata
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What Does Snow-on-the-Mountain Look Like?
Snow-on-the-mountain plants have grey-green leaves along their stems. The smaller leaves near the top, called bracts, have wide white edges. These white edges, along with the plant's white flowers, make it look like it's covered in snow. This is how it got its common names!
Scientists have also found that this plant releases a lot of sulfur gas. Most of this gas is called dimethyl sulfide (DMS).
