Californian Burr Care

This name is the accepted name of an infraspecific taxon* of the species Xanthium orientale L. in the genus Xanthium (family Compositae).Xanthium is a genus of flowering plants. It belongs to the sunflower tribe and comes within the daisy flower. This plant is native to the eastern Asia and America. The another name of Xanthium is cocklebur. The seeds of these plants are covered with stiff and hooked spines which get attached to the fur of the animals.

Herb to 2 m high; stems scabrous, unarmed.

Leaves ovate to triangular, 5–14 cm long, 5–15 cm wide, shallowly 3-lobed, base ± cordate, margins toothed, both surfaces green and scabrous, lamina with 3 main veins; petiole 3–8 cm long.

Heads inconspicuous. Burrs ellipsoid, 15–20 mm long, glandular-hairy, with numerous hooked spines 3–5 mm long, beaks diverging, incurved and hooked, 4–6 mm long.

This plant might be poisonous

How to get rid of:
The most effective methods of cocklebur control are hand pulling or chemical controls. Cocklebur plants reproduce easily by seed, which are generally dispersed on water. The seed can lie dormant in the soil for up to three years before ideal conditions cause it to germinate.

Invasive in California.