Description

Key Characters:

Growth Form: Erect, glaucous perennial herbs.

Stems: Stems somewhat woody at base, 7–15 dm long, branches suberect, usually moderately to densely covered with yellow, sharp, stiff prickles, bright yellow latex.

Roots:

Leaves: Leaves simple. Alternate. Blades oblong–elliptic, pinnately deeply lobed ca. ½–¾ to midrib, 8–21 cm long, 6–11 cm wide. Base sessile. Surfaces conspicuously glaucous, both surfaces usually with prickles on veins, these sometimes absent (Ka & H), margin teeth tipped with prickles. Margins irregularly sinuate–dentate. Petioles absent. Stipules absent.

Flowers: Flowers terminal, solitary. Flowers bisexual (perfect), actinomorphic, buds oblong, 1.6–2.4 cm long, smooth or prickly. Calyx of (2)3(–6) sepals, each with a subterminal horn tipped by a prickle, horns subterete, 3–5(–7) mm long, caducous; each sepal with ca. 12–30 prickles, these rarely absent. Corolla of 6 petals, white, broadly obovate, distinct, 3–5.5 cm long. Stamens ca. 70–80; filaments pale yellow; anthers linear, coiled after dehiscence, dithecal, opening by longitudinal slits. Ovary superior, 3–6-carpellate, 1-celled; stigma purple, 3–7-lobed, 2–4 mm long at anthesis.

Fruit: Capsules ovoid to lanceoloid; 3–6 cm long; sparsely to densely covered with prickles; 2– 6 mm long; 35–65 prickles per valve. Seeds numerous; blackish brown; dull; subglobose; 2–2.5 mm in diameter; reticulate; endosperm oily.

Ploidy:

Habitat: Coastal dry woodland.

Elevation Range: 0–520 m.