Darlington's glade spurge facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Darlington's glade spurge |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Euphorbia
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| Species: |
purpurea
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The Euphorbia purpurea is a special plant. People often call it Darlington's glade spurge, glade spurge, or purple spurge. It's a type of plant from the Euphorbia family. You can find it in the eastern United States. It grows from Ohio and Pennsylvania down to North Carolina. This plant used to grow in Alabama but is now gone from there. It was also thought to be gone from Delaware, but a group of them was found again in 1997!
Contents
What is the Purple Spurge?
This plant is a perennial herb. This means it lives for more than two years. It grows from a special underground stem called a rhizome. A rhizome helps the plant spread. The plant can grow up to about one meter tall. That's about the height of a small kid!
Leaves and Flowers
The leaves of the purple spurge are slightly hairy. They grow in pairs, opposite each other on the stem. Each leaf can be up to 3 centimeters long. The plant gets its name "purple spurge" from its purplish bracts. Bracts are like special leaves that are often colorful and grow near the flowers.
The fruit of this plant is bumpy. It is about 6 to 8 millimeters long. You can see the plant flowering in May and June. It's quite easy to grow new plants from cuttings. Cuttings are small pieces of the plant that can grow roots.
Where Does the Purple Spurge Live?
This plant likes different kinds of places. It can grow in dry, moist, or even swampy wooded areas. It also likes mountain glades. Glades are open, grassy areas in forests.
Its Favorite Spots
You might find the purple spurge in wet soil. This often happens near seeps or small streams. Seeps are places where water slowly oozes out of the ground. But it doesn't always need wet places. It can also grow in dry spots. This plant is happy in both shady and sunny areas.
In wetter places, it might grow near other plants. Some of these include Polemonium vanbruntiae and Carex mitchelliana. In swampy areas, it has been seen with Sphenopholis pensylvanica and Caltha palustris. It also lives in deciduous forests. These forests have trees that lose their leaves in the fall. Here, it might grow with trees like Quercus muhlenbergii and Fraxinus quadrangulata.
Protecting the Purple Spurge
There are about 50 known groups of this plant. They are found in seven or eight different states. This plant is quite rare.
What Harms the Plant?
One problem for the purple spurge is animals eating it. This is called herbivory. Animals like deer and groundhogs sometimes eat the plant.
Another big threat is losing its home. This happens when wetlands are filled in. Also, moist seeps and streams can dry up. This makes it hard for the plant to find enough water. Logging, which is cutting down trees, can also harm its habitat.
Sometimes, animals eating plants can help. A little bit of grazing can reduce competition. This means other plants don't grow too much and take over. But too much grazing can be bad. It can also cause plants to be stepped on. Some groups of purple spurge in Pennsylvania disappeared because of too much grazing a long time ago.
