Erect, with numerous weak sterile branches. Main stem up to 3 ft tall and smooth. Exudes a milky juice when bruised. Yellowish, minute, borne on forking leafy branches. Flowering period is from May to July.
Leafy spurge is a perennial that forms large colonies.
Branches and paired leaves become yellow at maturity, entire plant turns orange or red in the fall. It is usually found along stream banks, on unplanted sites or in pasture and rangeland. It propagates both by rootstock and by seed. The plant contains a latex that causes severe irritation of the mouth and digestive system of cattle and horses. Control is very important owing to the toxicity of the plant.