The attraction of Euphorbia lagascae is that it is drought tolerant and produces oily seeds filled with an epoxy fatty acid called vernolic acid. The paint industry is interested in this plant's vernolic acid because it can replace some costly and environmentally damaging drying solvents. It is this drying solvent that accounts for the distinctive, and sometimes irritating, odor of paint that is drying, Roseberg added. He conceded that it would be an almost perfect plant if not for its unattractive habit of spitting seeds all over the field. This mechanism, which other plants in its family also develop, is called shattering.
Mechanical pressure builds up as each pod reaches maturity.
When the pressure is released, the pods spit the seeds 15 feet or more, thus propagating the plant. This is not a desirable characteristic for harvesting seeds. To counter this, Roseberg has grown successful plots of the plant using a mutant variety developed in Spain. The variety holds its seeds long enough for harvest with conventional combine threshing machines. However, Southern Oregon growers could further profit by switching from water-intensive crops to Euphorbia lagascae .