That ground-hugging plant with the yellow flowers growing along roadsides in South Florida goes by the scientific name Tribulus cistoides. One of its common names is buttercup. But buttercups they are not. The Latin name Tribulus comes from the same word as our English "tribulation" . and "trouble." A more apt common name is puncture weed, because of its spiny fruit that can puncture bare feet and bicycle tires.

Two species of puncture weed take advantage of disturbed areas in Florida's sandy soils, and both are invaders from elsewhere. The most common one in South Florida is Tribulus cistoides, described as a native of the American tropics or of Africa. The other, often called "puncture vine," is less common, has smaller flowers, and is a native of the Mediterranean. Both are now plentiful in the tropics, their seeds commonly hitching a ride on the shoes of travelers.

Our larger-flowered Tribulus (nearly an inch wide) is available through some nurseries, although efforts are being made to curb sales due to the harm they cause and their propensity to escape cultivation and grow in the wild.

-Jerome A. Jackson

Jerome A. Jackson is a professor of biology at Florida Gulf Coast University.