260 EUPHORBIACEAE (SPURGE FAMILY) 



leaves ; they are about a half-inch broad, with five hairy, pointed, 

 persistent sepals and five fan-shaped, rounded, yellow petals, 

 broader than long, which soon fall away ; stamens ten, as long as 

 the petals; ovary five-celled and hairy, the styles united in a 

 column with five-ridged stigma. The fruit, or nut, is nearly a half- 

 inch broad, and splits at maturity into five carpels, each one armed 

 with two to four hard, often curved and spreading spines. Each 

 carpel contains several seeds, which, protected by their hard, spiny 

 covering, may lie dormant in the soil for more than one season. 



Means of control 



Prevent seed production by close cutting before the first flowers 

 mature. No annual plant can long survive which is not permitted 

 to foul the ground with its future generations. 



SPURGE NETTLE 



Jdtropha stimuldsa, Michx. 



Other English names: Bull Net- 

 tle, Tread-softly. 



Native. Perennial. Propagates 

 by seeds. 



Time of bloom : May to Septem- 

 ber. 



Seed-time: June to November. 



Range: Virginia and Tennessee, 

 south and west to Florida, 

 Louisiana, and Texas. 



Habitat: Prefers light, sandy 

 soils, but invades nearly all 

 crops. 



The tough, woody, branching 

 roots of this plant often penetrate 

 the soil to a depth of three to 

 five feet, taking to themselves 

 what food and moisture is to be 

 found. Herbaceous stems are sent 

 FIG. 183. Spurge Nettle (Jatropha up yearly, one to three feet tall, 

 timulosa). x i. slender, branching, bright green, 



