Mala Mujer or Cnidoscolus angustidens is an interesting plant in Euphorbiaceae, the spurge family. It’s found in southeastern Arizona and south into Sonora on rocky slopes from 2,500′ to 5,000′ in elevation. What makes it interesting, at least to me, are the green maple-like leaves covered in white dots that are actually little mounds, each holding up a stinging hair. They do sting and some folks have a bad reaction to the sting. As you can see from the photo I clasped the stems and yes I got stung (very cool!), but I didn’t a bad reaction. Sometimes native plant nurseries will have this euphorb in stock, so it’s well worth asking your favorite nursery person if they grow it….what am I thinking?…I think we’ll start growing this cool plant at Spadefoot! Go native my friends.
These are my photos…proof that I did get out on a muggy monsoonal morning to find mala mujer.
The Ol’ Guajolote came flowing out of the mountains down to the grassland and Petey found himself tumbling downstream with his dog Farley. A...
Petey gets very excited about the flight of male Horse Lubber grasshoppers.
Peter jabbers about cool winged grasshoppers and a plant called Stinging Serpent. Cevallia sinuata or Stinging Serpent is found around the wild borderlands of...
