Euphorbia peplis
Euphorbia peplis, commonly known as the purple spurge, is a small coastal plant in the spurge family. It grows in southern and western Europe, northern Africa, and southwestern Asia, mainly on sandy beaches and shingle.
Description: It is a small, hairless annual plant that lies close to the ground. Stems reach about 10–20 cm and usually there are four stems from the base. The leaves are opposite, oval, 1–2 cm long, grey-green and somewhat fleshy, with reddish-purple veins. The leaf bases are oblique and the leaves have a curved, wavy shape. The fruit capsules are hairless and contain smooth seeds about 3 mm long.
Habitat and range: It grows on sandy sea shores and rarely inland. Its range includes shores around the Mediterranean, Black, Caspian and Red Seas, and the Persian Gulf. In England, at the northern edge of its range, it has historically been rare and is now extinct.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 01:40 (CET).