Rattlesnake Weed
Chamaesyce albomarginata
Watercolor from live specimen.
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ANNUAL/PERENNIAL: Grows prostrate - slithering on the ground like a
rattlesnake.
LEAVES: The leaves are opposite on the stems. The leaf margins are
smooth. White latex-sap emerges from breaks in tissue.
RANGE: Common on rocky slopes and along desert washes in the Sonoran
Desert of Arizona and ranging up to 2000+ m
elevation.
FLOWERS: Minute flowers are borne in groups within an
involucre. What appears to be petals are petal-like glands borne on
the rim of the involucre. Flowers appear by mid spring and can be found through
Nov. depending on rainfall.
UNARMED: No thorns, but the milky sap can be a skin/eye irritant.
FRUIT: Small capsules, ca. 2.5 mm, are smooth, three-parted and each
contains usu. three seeds. These seeds inside require high magnification to see
their smooth surface.