plant I.D.

[misfit]

hi all, could any of you fine people help with identifying this plant please, it just keeps appearing in the garden!

many thanks 

[misfit]

[alkanet]

it's Euphorbia lathyris,  Caper spurge, supposed to deter moles. Bit of a weed

[misfit]

thank you very much 

[artichoke]

It's a widespread theory that it discourages moles. I asked a Frenchman why, in the middle of his immaculate vegetable plot, he had a tall caper spurge towering over everything else and he replied "c'est contre les taupes" without hesitation.

[daveylamp993]

it's Euphorbia lathyris,  Caper spurge, supposed to deter moles. Bit of a weed

The idea that it deterred moles,came from the fact that monks used the white sap from the plant on warts and moles on their bodies in the belief that it would eradicate them,i know of no evidence that this worked or not.

[Tee Gee]

Some of these " old wife's tales" are quite interesting.

I remember one from my grand mother to my brother which went something like this;

My brother had a rather big wart on the back of his hand which was not painful but it was a bit of a nuisance as he kept catching it on things which could be quite painful at times!

The treatment was;

Cut an apple in half eat one half, rub the wart with the other half then bury it!

The theory was as the apple rotted so would the wart!

The strange thing is; the wart disappeared!

So there might be truth in some of these " old wife's tales!

[alkanet]

I thought the name Euphorbia came from an ancient Greek physician who used the sap to heal wounds in battle, but Wiki says he used it to cure constipation :)

[Digeroo]

Some people are sensitive to the sap so do be careful when you touch it

[Unwashed]

Some people are sensitive to the sap so do be careful when you touch it

Yes, it's not the nicest of plants.