About Tragia urticifolia Michx.
Tragia urticifolia, commonly known as nettleleaf noseburn, is a flowering plant species belonging to the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae. It is native to the southeastern United States, where it typically grows in dry rocky or sandy woodlands on calcareous or mafic substrates. It is an erect perennial herb or subshrub. Its leaves are shaped triangular-lanceolate, with bases that range from truncate to cordate, and tips that are acute to acuminate. Its petioles measure approximately 3–15 mm long. It produces small yellow flowers from late spring through summer. Tragia urticifolia can be told apart from the closely similar Tragia betonicifolia by its longer staminate flower pedicels, which are 1.5–2 mm long, and by the more even distribution of its flowers along the raceme. This species is well-known for its stinging hairs, which cause intense pain when they come into contact with human skin.
