Stats

Lifespan

Perennial

Size

Small

Diet

Photosynthetic

Biome

Temperate woodland

Range

North America

Movement

Sessile

Breeding

Seeds

Defense

Spines

Status

Uncommon

About

This herb grows in the sandy soil of pine forests and open fields. Its stinging hairs inject a chemical cocktail that causes intense burning upon contact.

Life cycle

1. 1.
   seed

   A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2. 2.
   sprout

   A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3. 3.
   sapling

   A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4. 4.
   mature

   Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

Learn more

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Taxonomy

Kingdom

Plantae

Phylum

Tracheophyta

Class

Magnoliopsida

Order

Malpighiales

Family

Euphorbiaceae

Genus

Cnidoscolus

Species

Cnidoscolus stimulosus