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.
Plants 10β80(β200) cm; nodal spines 0. Leaves: petioles 20β100(β140+) mm; blades suborbiculate to Β± pentagonal or deltate, 4β12(β18+) Γ 3β10(β18+) cm, sometimes palmately 3β5-lobed, abaxial faces green, hirtellous. Burs 10β30+ mm. 2n = 36.
Phenology
jul-aug (summer), sep-oct (fall)
Altitude range
10β2000 m;
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.