Family: spurges (Euphorbiaceae)
Flowering time: April–July
Size: 50–120 cm
Habitat: stream and river banks, forest edges, moist meadows
Hairy spurge (Euphorbia villosa) is a tall plant that from a thick rhizome sends up several upright stems. This gives it a shrubby appearance. The hollow stem is at the base about 1 cm wide. The stems' leaves are almost sessile and lanceolate. The underside is covered with soft hairs, which gives the species its name. At maturity the surface of the fruits is smooth, sometimes speckled, never covered with bristly tubercles. Like other spurges it contains a poisonous white sap – the milky sap, which serves as a defense against herbivores.
In Slovenia the hairy spurge is endangered due to the disappearance of suitable habitats, and in the Red List it is classified as a vulnerable species. It thrives only in some inland areas and in the eastern part of the country.
