~ Written by ABNC Volunteer David Ozro Woods. David is a PhD student of Ecology & Evolution at the University of Houston. He has a bachelor's degree in Natural Resources: Conservation Biology with minors in Marine Science and Plant Science.

*E. bicolor* with a honey bee sipping nectar from its flower. Photo credit: *David Ozro Woods*

Looking across the prairie in the late summer, it is common to see patches of large white plants standing out like snow against the green backdrop. This is where Euphorbia bicolor gets it’s common name, Snow On The Prairie. Getting up close to one, you can see it is buzzing with pollinator activity!

E. bicolor is an annual herbaceous plant that grows to be between 1 and 4 feet tall. Blooming from July to October, its white flowers are unisexual but the plant is monoecious, meaning that male and female plants are differentiated but grow on the same plant. The leaves are pale green with white edges growing and they are in an alternate pattern. Preferring hard clay soils, E. bicolor is distributed throughout prairies, rangelands, and the edges of forested areas.

E. bicolor is in the Spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, making it related to common ornamental plants such as poinsettias. The whitish sap that is characteristic of this family is a skin and eye irritant for some people, and the plant should thus be handled with care. Beekeepers call honey that is produced from the nectar and pollen of this plant “jalapeño honey,” as it can irritate the mouth and throat of those who ingest it.

There is currently research into the potential of using some of the compounds found in E. bicolor as non-opiate painkillers; however, this research is still ongoing and has so far only been tested in rats.