I spotted groups of these white flowers in several spots on a recent drive through Botany Bay Plantation Wildlife Management Area.

The spot I photographed these had a mowed path leading towards them so that I could get close, but the abundance of ant hills kept me from taking additional shots, including one of the full plant. I’ve avoided ant bites since moving to South Carolina, and I want to keep it that way.

The abundance of thorns on the stems and sharp leaves would prohibit picking a vaseful. My research to identify the flower also found that all parts of this plant are toxic in some way to humans, from the spines that contain skin irritating substances to the seeds which are poisonous.