What is this growing in my wild patch?

[Sanchar]

Can anyone identify it?

[NanTheWiser]

It's Caper spurge - Euphorbia lathyris, sometimes known as the mole plant because it is alleged to deter moles. They often pop up from nowhere, because the seeds are released explosively, and can travel a fair distance. If you want to pull it up, take care because the milky sap is an irritant, and the whole plant is rather toxic, so wear gloves, and try not to let the sap splash on your skin.

[KindDogsTail]

How clever of you to know all that NanTheWiser!

[Roystonv]

Oooh send some to me, love euphorbias, was admiring this one in a garden at the weekend

[NanTheWiser]

I grow quite a few succulent Euphorbias, KindDogsTail, (as part of my enormous cactus and succulent collection!), so I know a reasonable amount about them. The Euphorbiaceae family is one of the largest and most widespread family of plants in the world, growing in almost every continent except Antarctica and the Arctic. Many of our "weeds" are in this family.

[KindDogsTail]

That's interesting. Sanchar was lucky you were here to answer!

[Sanchar]

Wow! Thanks nan! I've been watching it grow for weeks waiting to see if it'll flower or something.

Not going to pull it up, it's too pretty and the bees like it.

[NanTheWiser]

It's already in flower - those odd-shaped green leaf like structures at the end of the stems, those are bracts. There are also seed pods forming - three-sectioned "balls"! When they are ripe, they'll explode, each shooting 3 seeds for several meters, so you might have them all over the garden next year. Euphorbias don't have showy flowers, usually they are just greenish bracts. Incidentally, Poinsettias are also Euphorbias...