smuotli or slijjhtly hispid ; root simple, dull white, slightly twisted 
near the apex ; leaves alternate, sessile ; of the young plant decidu¬ 
ous, succulent, linear or suhterete, 3 to 6 cm. long, spinv-pointed, and 
with narrow, denticulate, membranaceous'margins near the base; 
leaves of mature plant persistent, each subtending two leaf-like 
bracts and a flower, at intervals of 2 to 10 mm., rigid, narrowlv ovate, 
often denticulate near the base, spiny-pointed, usually striped with 
red like the branches, 6 to 10 mm. long; bracts divergent, like the 
leaves in size and in all respects hut position ; Howers solitarv and 
sessile, perfect, apetalous, about 10 jnm. in diameter; calyx mem¬ 
branaceous, persistent, enclosing the depressed fruit, usually rose 
colored, gamosepalous, cleft nearly to the base into live unecpial 
divisions about 4 mm. long, the upper one broadest, the two next the 
subtending leaf next in size and the lateral ones narrow, each with a 
heak-like, connivent apex, and bearing midway on the hack a mem¬ 
branaceous, striate, erose-margined wing about 3 mm. long, the upper 
and two lower ones much broader than the lateral ones; stamens 5, 
about equaling the calyx lobes; pistil simple; styles 2, slender, about 
1 mm. long; seed 1 ,obconical, depressed, about 2 mm. in diameter, dull 
gray or grean, exalbuminous, the thin seed coat closely co\ ering the 
spirally-coiled embryo; embryo about 12 mm. long with 2 terete 
cotyledons.” 
I’OftU.AK DESCKII'IION. 
More or less spherical in shape, and consisting of many elon¬ 
gated branching twigs which grow outward and upward from the 
root. \\ hen not (juite mature the whole plant has a reddish color, 
but as its seeds ripen it bleaches out and eventually is almost white. 
Well-grown specimens are from two to three feet in diameter, but 
where crowded together they may be much less. Each twig and 
branch is covered on all sides by haril, stout prickles, which are very 
sharp and very irritating to the touch. These prickles are in threes, 
that is, there are three together in a place and pointing in different 
directions. .Vt the upper side of the base of each three prickles 
there is a seed, and as there are about ten of these to each inch it is 
easily seen that the seeds produced by every well-grown plant must 
reach a great many thousands. Late in the fall and in the early part 
of \vintcr the root breaks off and the plant is free to roll away with 
i s freight of seeds. 
'J'iie young plant, which appears in May and June, docs not 
sugge-t to the farmer anything of its final form and harmfidness. It 
