Family: Euphorbiaceae

Origin, Description & Uses
The Euphorbia ‘Blackbird’ (often sold as ‘Blackbird’ Spurge) is a cultivated hybrid, meaning it was specially bred by gardeners for its striking good looks rather than collected from the wild. This compact, evergreen shrub is beloved for its dramatic, narrow foliage that emerges in deep maroon to rich burgundy, maturing to a dark grey-green with a distinct red midrib. It typically forms a tidy, mounded shape, reaching about two feet tall and wide, making it an excellent choice for adding contrast to landscape borders, rock gardens, or decorative containers. Unlike many of its weedy relatives, this plant is prized for its structural form and long-lasting clusters of small, lime-green flowers that appear in the spring.

Risks & Threats
While the ‘Blackbird’ is considered a Low Risk species for Hawaiʻi due to its lack of aggressive seeding and non-invasive growth habit (it does not spread prolifically like some other spurges), it does contain a trait that requires caution. Like all euphorbias, it produces a thick, white, milky sap that can be a skin and eye irritant. This sap is toxic if ingested and can cause significant discomfort, so it is important to wear gloves when pruning or handling the plant and to keep it out of reach of curious pets and children. Because it is a sterile hybrid, it poses minimal threat of escaping cultivation and disrupting native ecosystems.

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
  
• 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