Euphorbia spinosa, the spiny spurge, is a species of spurge that grows in habitats around the Mediterranean Sea, mainly in Europe.
Description Spiny spurge is a small spiny shrub growing tall. Its stems are thin and branch freely to form a rounded and spiny mound. It is similar to Greek spiny spurge (Euphorbia acanthothamnos), but with stems that are not as stiff and weakly spiny tips that are not sharp. The plants are hairless and have few leaves. What leaves they have are bluish-green, narrowly lanceolate, and about 1 cm long.
Taxonomy Euphorbia spinosa was given its scientific name by Carl Linnaeus in 1753. It is classified as part of the Euphorbia genus within the Euphorbiaceae family and has three accepted subspecies.
Euphorbia spinosa subsp. glabriflora – Native to the western Balkan Peninsula Euphorbia spinosa subsp. ligustica – Native to the Italian peninsula Euphorbia spinosa subsp. spinosa – Widespread southern Europe and Libya
Euphorbia spinosa has synonyms of the species or one of its three subspecies.
Table of Synonyms Name Year Rank Synonym of: Notes Euphorbia fragifera var. inermis 1881 variety subsp. glabriflora = het. Euphorbia glabriflora 1865 species subsp. glabriflora ≡ hom. Euphorbia haworthii 1826 species subsp. spinosa = het., nom. illeg. homonym. post. Euphorbia inermis 1866 species subsp. glabriflora = het., nom. illeg. homonym. post. Euphorbia linariifolia 1799 species subsp. spinosa = het., nom. illeg. homonym. post. Euphorbia linarioides 1812 species subsp. spinosa = het. Euphorbia petaloides 1830 species subsp. spinosa = het. Euphorbia pindicola 1897 species subsp. glabriflora = het. Euphorbia pubescens var. glabriflora 1881 variety subsp. glabriflora ≡ hom. Euphorbia pungens 1788 species subsp. spinosa = het. Euphorbia rigens 1830 species subsp. spinosa = het. Euphorbia rigidula 1840 species subsp. spinosa = het. Euphorbia spinosa var. brachyadenia 1862 variety subsp. spinosa = het. Euphorbia spinosa var. inermis 1862 variety subsp. spinosa = het. Euphorbia spinosa f. ligustica 1901 form subsp. ligustica ≡ hom. Galarhoeus spinosus 1812 species E. spinosa ≡ hom. Keraselma pungens 1840 species subsp. spinosa = het. Tithymalus diffusus 1779 species subsp. spinosa = het. Tithymalus glabriflorus 1972 species subsp. glabriflora ≡ hom. Tithymalus spinosus 1838 species E. spinosa ≡ hom. Notes: ≡ homotypic synonym; = heterotypic synonym
Names Euphorbia spinosa is known by the common names spiny spurge or thorny spurge. However, the central and southern European species Euphorbia verrucosa is also called spiny spurge at times.
Range and habitat It is native to the Mediterranean basin mostly in Europe, but also to Libya in North Africa. In southwestern Europe it grows in Spain, France, Corsica, and Sardinia. While in southeastern Europe it is found in Sicily, Italy, Croatia, Bosnia & Hercegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Albania and Greece. In Turkey its range crosses over to southwestern Anatolia, in Asia. It grows in dry, rocky areas.
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