Spurges, or sand mats are difficult to control, warm season, broadleaf weeds of landscapes, gardens and turf in the low deserts of Arizona. Fast growing and easily dispersed, spurges rapidly colonize and blanket areas where there is ample sunlight and moisture.
In addition to degrading the aesthetic appeal of landscapes and properties infested with spurge, spurge weeds also pose certain hazards to people recreating or working around them. Spurges produce a milky sap that can cause contact dermatitis in sensitive individuals and mild to serious eye irritation in most people (hence another common name “eyebane”). The specific chemical compounds are called diterpene esters and it is best to avoid skin and eye contact with the milky spurge sap.
Spurges often harbor stinging ants. The weeds’ flowers have specialized structures that produce nectar as a food source for ants, which they aggressively defend when the plant is disturbed. People with allergies or special sensitivity to ant venom are at risk and should be careful around spurge