Martyniaceae

Martynia annua

Common Names: Devil’s claw

Plant Form: Upright annual herb. Size: Up to 2 m tall. Stem: Greenish, thick, many branched, with glandular hairs that produce sticky sap. Leaves: Kidney shaped to nearly circular, up to 12 cm long, with 5-7 shallow lobes. Flowers: Tubular to bell shaped, 3-5 cm long, pink, pale purple or white, with darker purple markings on petals and with yellow and red line markings near centre. Fruit and Seeds: Large fleshy capsule with horn like end, up to 3 cm long, green ageing to black, containing 2 large brown to black oblong seeds. Habitat: Disturbed land, roadsides, abandoned buildings, cropland. Distinguishing Features: Much smaller fruit than other Devil’s Claw (Martynia) species. Impacts: Unpalatable to stock, host of pest insects, fruit can attach to animals.

Seeds have strong hooks

Flowers

Leaves are large and hairy

Growth habit