Euphorbia pekinensis seed

LATIN NAME: Euphorbia pekinensis

COMMON NAME: Peking Spurge

The Peking spurge is a handsome, upright, leafy, perennial herb of the warm fields, and its fine, oval or lance-shaped, softly hairy leaves and its small, inconspicuous, yellowish-green flowers in the fine, branching clusters of the cyathia, followed by the small, round, dry capsules, have made it a treasured and remarkable plant of the region. It grows as an upright, leafy, perennial herb, reaching up to one metre or so, with the upright, thick, branching stems bearing the alternate, oval or lance-shaped, pointed, softly hairy leaves and, through the summer, the small, inconspicuous, yellowish-green flowers in the fine, branching clusters, followed by the small, round, dry, three-lobed capsules of the few seeds. It is a species of the flowering plant in the spurge family, and it is native to the warm fields of the eastern Asia, while it is treasured for its long history of traditional use, and it is known as the Peking spurge.

In the spurge family it is the bold, leafy spurge of the warm fields, a plant whose old record of use comes with a strong, milky sap that asks for the careful glove.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

The Peking spurge roots and parts are a familiar subject in the traditional plant chemistry of the eastern Asia, and the constituents have been examined with the greatest care by the researchers across the world. The plant must be treated with the greatest care, since the milky sap is strong and irritating, and it is best appreciated as a subject of study rather than a casual remedy, kept away from the eyes, the mouth and the bare skin, and from the children and the pets. The botanists have mapped its place in the spurge family and the warm field flora, and the growers of the wild garden keep the bold, leafy form in their collections.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

In the wild garden, the Peking spurge is the bold, leafy plant of the sunny border. Its small, yellowish-green flowers feed the small insects, and the upright, leafy growth gives the border a strong, architectural presence. The long record of traditional use keeps the plant in the old practice, and the milky sap is best handled with gloves. Bold, leafy and careful.

These are easy, willing seeds — scatter them over the surface of pots of gritty, free-draining soil and just press them in without covering them, keep the pots in a bright, sheltered spot and water them gently, and they’ll come up before long.