Family:  Spurge (Euphorbiaceae)

Hardy to Zones 5 to 12

(Mole Plant, Caper Spurge, Gopher Plant, Paper Spurge, Petroleum Plant) Erect evergreen annual or biennial to 3 feet tall.  My plants in this Zone 7 garden almost always prove to be biennials.  Self-seeding.  Native to the Mediterranean basin and Europe, widely grown in gardens.  The plant is considered to be an invasive weed by some authorities, but most gardeners will grow it without fear.  It is a fascinating plant!  First and foremost, do be careful with all parts of this plant, which are filled with an acrid latex that will burn skin and eyes and cause great intestinal irritation if ingested.  Wash hands after handling the plant, especially if the latex gets on your hands.  If the latex gets in your eyes, then flush eyes immediately with a copious stream of fresh milk. Beyond the cautions, this is a really handsome, interesting and potentially useful plant.  The erect stem bears opposite pairs of lance-shaped leaves colored intensely blue-green.  The flowers are yellow, giving way to the sectioned pods that hold the seeds. The plant prefers full sun to part shade and does fine in regular garden soil or poor soil.  It is quite drought tolerant.  Sow seed in the spring, in pots or directly in the garden.  Cover with 1/2 inch of soil, tamp firmly and keep warm and moist until germination, which occurs in 1 to 6 weeks. Thin to a foot apart.
Packet contains 10 seeds
10 g contains ~230 seeds
Certified Organically Grown