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 
Jatropha stimulésa, Michx. 
Other English names: Bull Net- 
tle, Tread-softly. 
Native. Perennial. Propagates 
by seeds. 
es of bloom: May to Septem- 
er. 
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. Herbaceousstemsaresent 
Fic. 183. — Spurge Nettle (Jatropha Up yearly, one to three feet tall, 
stimulosa). X 2. slender, branching, bright green, 
