Underground organs consist of long and short rhizomes, and roots, that extend horizontally in the upper soil and vertically throughout the soil profile. Reserves accumulate in the fall as top-growth dies. Leafy spurge reproduces vegetatively and by seed. Flowering shoots normally produce 10 to 50 fruits, with each flowering shoot able to produce and disperse over 200 seeds. Ground-nesting mourning doves may aid in leafy spurge seed dispersal.
Tillage increases the formation of underground buds and subsequent shoot generation.
Soil type has no apparent effect on root biomass but does influence distribution within the soil profile. Leafy spurge prefers disturbed soils. It commonly occupies fields, roadsides, stream valleys, open woodlands, and waste places. Once established, leafy spurge tends to expand and persist. The mean rate of spread, in feet, for leafy spurge within different habitats was monitored in the Saskatchewan over 2 years.