Definition

Noun: * A North American perennial plant: "Tramp's spurge" is the common name for a specific species of flowering plant in the spurge family (Euphorbiaceae), scientifically known as Euphorbia corollata. It is characterized by its showy, white, petal-like structures (which are actually bracts) that surround small, inconspicuous flowers.

Usage

This term is used specifically in botany, horticulture, and nature observation to identify this particular wildflower. * The field was dotted with the delicate white blooms of tramp's spurge. * While hiking, we learned to identify tramp's spurge by its distinctive flower-like bracts.

Advanced Usage

• The name "tramp's spurge" is a folk name. The plant is more formally and widely known as "flowering spurge." The "tramp's" in the name may refer to the plant's ability to thrive in disturbed or roadside areas, habitats often passed through by people traveling on foot.

Variants and Related Words

• Flowering spurge: The most common alternative common name for the same plant ().
• Spurge (n): The general name for plants in the genus , many of which have a milky, often irritating sap.
• Bract (n): A specialized leaf, often colored, that resembles a petal. In tramp's spurge, the white "petals" are bracts.

Synonyms

• Flowering spurge
• (scientific name)

Notes

• Caution: Like many plants in the spurge family, tramp's spurge contains a milky latex sap that can be a skin irritant for some people. It is advisable to avoid contact with the sap.

Noun

1. common perennial United States spurge having showy white petallike bracts