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Catnip noseburn

Tragia ramosa Torr.

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Catnip noseburn fruit
Catnip noseburn
Catnip noseburn
Catnip noseburn
Catnip noseburn leaf

Morphology

Stem
Decumbent to ascending or erect; sap watery.
Leaves
Cauline, alternate, simple; stipules present; petiole 1/25 to 2/5 inch; blade narrowly ovate to linear-lanceolate, 1/5 to 1.6 inch long, 1/8 to 4/5 inch wide, base subcordate to truncate, margins serrate, tip acute.
Inflorescence
Racemes, axillary or terminal, 1/5 to 3/5 inch; staminate and pistillate flowers on same plant, pistillate flowers proximal and staminate flowers distal; staminate flowers 2-20 per raceme, pistillate flowers 1-2 per raceme; staminate bracts lanceolate, 1/16 to 1/12 inch; pistillate bracts 1/25 to 1/16 inch.
Flower
Staminate flowers greenish: pedicels to 1/12 inch; sepals 3-4, oblanceolate, 1/25 to 1/11 inch; petals 0; stamens 3-6(-10). Pistillate flowers greenish: sepals 6, connate basally, lanceolate, 1/32 to 1/10 inch, shorter than gynoecium (collective term for the pistil(s) of a flower); petals 0; styles 3, connate proximally more than 1/2 their lengths, simple.
Fruit
Capsules 3-lobed, not enveloped by persistent bracts, 1/8 to 1/6 inch long, 1/4 to 1/3 inch wide; seeds dark brown, globose to ovoid, 1/10 to 1/7 inch.

Ecology

Habitat
Rocky to gravelly tallgrass, mixed-grass, and shortgrass prairies
Distribution
West 4/5 of Kansas

Additional Notes

Comments

The herbage is covered with stiff stinging hairs that are painful when touched, thus the common name nose burn. Tragia, for Hieronymus Bock, a German botanist whose Latinized name was Tragus and ramosa, branched.

Special Notes: See also Betony noseburn
Quick Facts
Plant Type
Wildflower
Family
Euphorbiaceae - Spurge Family
Life Span
Perennial
Height
4-20 inches
Origin
Native
Last Updated
2014-05-25
Color Groups
White, Green & Greenish White Wildflowers
Flowering Period
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Blooms: June, July, August, September