E. hirta (asthma plant) is a prostrate or erect little-branched, hairy annual to 80cm tall, with opposite, narrowly ovate leaves, with red splotches. The inflorescence is a dense, greenish yellow axillary cluster. A common and widespread weed of many vegetation types in the Kimberley and a serious weed of lawns as far south as Cue. From Central America, flowering from January to July. E. lathyrus (caper spurge) is a glabrous, somewhat fleshy, grey-green perennial or biennial herb to 70cm. The leaves are oblong-ovate, 6-12cm long. Flowers in summer and produces distinctive large, spongy, nodding fruits of up to 15mm diameter. Distinguished by having large fruits and large wrinkled seeds. It is occasional on wasteland from Perth to Albany. A native of Europe. E. marginata (snow on the mountain) is an erect annual to 70cm tall with oblong-ovate leaves to 2-8cm long. The floral leaves have conspicuous white margins. The flowers are in terminal heads, white, and are produced in summer. Occasional on wasteland, Perth to Albany. Native to America.
Euphorbia
hirta
, RR
E. paralias (sea spurge) is a fleshy, glabrous perennial with 1 to 10 stems arising from a long tap root. The stems are leafy, with narrow, overlapping, stalkless leaves, 5-20mm long. The inflorescences are terminal, yellow-green, with flowers produced in spring and summer. It is a very common weed of foredunes and beaches along the south coast and spreading up the west coast as far as Perth. A native of the Mediterranean.
E. paralias , GK
E. peplus (petty spurge) is an erect or ascending annual to 40cm, but usually less, commonly with a single stem, or two to four from the base. The ovate leaves are alternate, glabrous and 5-25mm long. The inflorescence is terminal, yellow-green and produced in spring. Distinguished by the deep regular pits on the seeds. It is a widespread weed of gardens, coastal acacia shrublands and limestone heath, tuart woodlands and offshore islands from Geraldton to Esperance. Native to Europe. E. segetalis (short stem carnation weed) is a glabrous erect herb to 40cm tall with alternate, linear leaves, 15-40mm long. The inflorescence is terminal, with yellow floral leaves. It is a weed of coastal heath at Esperance, distinguished by the seeds having numerous small irregular pits on their surface. Native to the Mediterranean. E. stevenii (bottletree spurge) is a soft, somewhat succulent-stemmed perennial to 60cm tall. Stems soon becoming leafless, leaves oblong-lanceolate, 10-30mm long, toothed. It is a garden escape on wasteland at Kununurra, flowering in March. Native to Queensland.
E.
peplus
, RR
E. terracina (Geraldton carnation weed) DP, PP is a glabrous erect perennial to 80cm tall, much branched from the base. The leaves are linear-lanceolate, 1-4cm long and minutely toothed. The inflorescence is terminal, yellow-green, and produced in summer. Produces a very toxic and irritating milky sap when cut. Common and serious weed of grazing land, road verges, coastal heath and tuart woodlands from Geraldton to Esperance. Native to the Mediterranean. E. tirucalli (finger tree) is a large shrub or small tree to 6m tall, with succulent, cylindrical, apparently leafless stems. The leaves are small and clustered at ends of the branches and soon fall. It is a garden escape on Cockatoo Island and is native to tropical Africa.
E.
terracina
, JD
Jatropha gossypifolia (bellyache bush) DP is a shrub to 2m tall, densely hairy with conspicuous glandular hairs. The leaves are sticky, on long leaf stalks to 7cm, palmate in three segments. The flowers are small, red, in stalked clusters in the upper leaves. Flowers from February to May. Native to tropical South America. Scattered weed of grazed woodlands, creeklines and wasteland in the Kimberley. A related species, J. curcas (physic nut) that has rounded leaf lobes instead of pointed ones, has been recorded once as a garden escape in the Kimberley. It should be eradicated wherever found.
Jatropha
gossypifolia
, GK
Mercurialis annua (annual dog's mercury) is a slender, erect annual to 60cm tall, with ovate-oblong leaves, having toothed margins. The male flowers are long, terminal inflorescences, with female flowers produced in the upper leaves. Flowering in spring. A native of Europe, it is locally common in peppermint woodland at Hamelin Bay. Phyllanthus amarus is an erect, leafy, hairless annual to 60cm tall. The inconspicuous, male or female, green flowers are produced singly in the leaf axils. Probably native to tropical America, but now pantropical. Flowers in summer and autumn. A garden weed in the Kimberley.
Phyllanthus amarus
, RR
Ricinus communis (castor oil plant) is a soft-wooded spreading shrub to 4m tall. The leaves are on stalks 20-60cm long, palmate with seven to nine lobes, 10-40cm long. The flowers are large, the male flowers yellow, the female flowers red. The seeds are very poisonous. It is scattered on road and rail verges, wasteland, rubbish tips, rivers, creeks and wetlands from Port Hedland to the Fraser Range. Native to tropical Africa and Asia.
Ricinus
communis
, RR
