Xanthium strumarium

Common Name: 
cocklebur
Scientific Name: 
Xanthium strumarium L.
Family Name: 
Asteraceae (Compositae) - Aster or Sunflower Family
Identification Notes
Life Cycle
native annual, reproducing by seed
Stems
upright, coarse hair, ridged, frequently spotted purplish black
Stems of Cocklebur
Stems of Cocklebur
Stems of Cocklebur
Stems of Cocklebur
Leaves
alternate, ovate to triangular, wavy or irregularly toothed margins, rough-textured above and below, long petioled
Leaves of Cocklebur
Leaves of Cocklebur
Flowers
greenish, small, male and female separate, two female in oval bur; clusters, terminal and axillary
Seed Pods
oval to oblong, hooked prickles, two curved spines at tip
Seedpods of Cocklebur
Seedpods of Cocklebur
Seedpods of Cocklebur
Seedpods of Cocklebur