Also known as, radium weed, wart weed, milkweed, and cancer weed. Petty Spurge is a small annual, which grows to about 30cm (12”) high, it resembles a small tree with small leaves. It grows mainly in the temperate & subtropical regions. The most distinguishing characteristic is that when the leaves and stem are broken it oozes a milky latex. The sap does have some medical uses that are being researched for humans not birds. The sap burns and if it gets into your eyes, you must wash and seek medical advice, as it can blind. Petty Spurge is often found amongst other excellent foods such as Chickweed; be careful it only takes one leaf about 3mm across to kill a canary. None available, bird dies a painful death because of the corrosive nature of this poison. There is a remedy passed down from Grandparents. Usually, because they are the ones that are troubled by 'sun spots, warts and skin irritations' the most. The milky sap from the live plant is used by carefully daubing onto a sun spot and allowing to dry, this supposedly removes basal cell carcinomas (BCC). . "Weeds - an illustrated botanical guide to weeds of Australia" by B. A. Auld and R. W. Medd "Flora of New South Wales" editor Gwen J. Harden, Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney "Gardener's Companion to Weeds" by Suzanne Ermert and Leigh Clapp Peplin's skin cancer gel trial a success May 1, 2006 - 4:09PM - http://www.theage.com.au/news Summarised for AFC - 11/6/2009