About Phaulothamnus spinescens A.Gray
The genus Phaulothamnus was formerly classified in the plant family Phytolaccaceae, but is now placed in Achatocarpaceae. Only one species is recognized within this genus: Phaulothamnus spinescens A.Gray. This species is native to southern Texas in the United States, northeastern Mexico (covering eastern Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas), and northwestern Mexico (covering Sonora, Sinaloa, Baja California, Baja California Sur, and the Islas Marías of Nayarit). Common names for Phaulothamnus spinescens are snake-eyes, devilqueen, and putia. It is a branching spiny shrub that can grow up to 250 cm tall. Its leaves are broader than they are long, reaching up to 35 mm in width but rarely exceeding 12 mm in length. Flowers are produced either singly or arranged in racemes. The fruits are spherical and juicy, ranging in color from white to greenish, with black seeds visible through the thin fruit wall.
