|
Stinging serpent (Cevallia sinuata) belongs to the Loasaceae (the Stickleaf family). It is a perennial herb that is native to the southwestern United States. This herb grows in dry soils; roadsides, disturbed areas, grasslands, desert foothills, and up to 30-90 cm tall. The leaves are alternate, lanceolate, wavy lobed, deeply lobed or coarsely pinnately, and armed with stinging hairs. The flowers have 5 narrow, pointed, yellowish petals and 5 petal-like sepals with a downy covering of hairs. They bloom from June to October. Barbed hairs containing painful stinging chemicals cover the stem, leaves, and flowers.
|