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 pumping of ground water to irrigate corn, alfalfa, cotton, pecan trees and pistachio trees in the Sulphur Springs Valley is…I can think of...
A sentimental episode written and recorded amidst the cluttered space that I call books and bones. Thank goodness for a milkweed plant to help...
It was Linnaeus that created the name Mimosa from the Greek: mimos for mime and the suffix osa for resembling. As to the plant...
