Spurge

spurge, (genus Euphorbia), large and diverse genus of flowering plants in the family Euphorbiaceae, comprising at least 2,100 species. Many spurge species are important as ornamentals, as sources of drugs, or as agricultural weeds and invasive species. The genus takes its common name from a group of annual herbs used as purgatives, or spurges, mainly the 1-metre- (3.3-foot-) tall European caper spurge (Euphorbia lathyris), seeds of which were once used for their laxative effect. The diverse worldwide genus includes many species in arid parts of Africa and India that resemble cactus plants.