Family: Euphorbiaceae

Origin, Description & Uses
Welcome ‘Ascot Rainbow’ to your garden—a stunning, low-maintenance evergreen perennial that adds a splash of color year-round. This cultivar is a hybrid selection, valued for its tidy, compact growth habit that typically reaches 18 to 24 inches tall and wide. It is beloved for its variegated foliage: narrow, grey-green leaves are edged in creamy yellow, but as the weather cools in fall and winter, the leaves transform with striking shades of hot pink and red. In early spring, it produces showy clusters of lime-green bracts (modified leaves) that create a beautiful contrast against the colorful foliage. Perfect for drought-tolerant gardens, containers, or border edges, this plant offers architectural interest without demanding much space or care.

Risks & Threats
Unlike many of its relatives in the Euphorbia family, ‘Ascot Rainbow’ is considered a low-risk, non-invasive addition to the landscape. It does not display aggressive spreading habits or produce significant viable seed that would allow it to escape cultivation. However, gardeners should be aware of a general caution common to all spurges: the milky white sap (latex) can be a skin and eye irritant. We recommend wearing gloves when pruning or handling the plant to avoid contact with the sap, and keeping it out of reach of curious pets, as ingestion can cause stomach upset.

High Risk Traits:

• Broad climate suitability (5 hardiness zones)
  
• Other Euphorbia species are invasive
  
• Sap toxic to animals and people
  
• Unpalatable to animals
  
• Tolerates many soil types

Low Risk Traits:

• No reports of invasiveness or naturalization or invasiveness
  
• Unarmed (no spines, thorns, or burrs)
  
• Ornamental value
  
• Not reported to produce seeds
  
• Not reported to spread vegetatively
  
• Lack of seed production minimizes risk of inadvertent or long-distance dispersal