Cenchrus spinifex

Cenchrus spinifex
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Monocots
(unranked): Commelinids
Order: Poales
Family: Poaceae
Genus: Cenchrus
Species: C. spinifex
Binomial name
Cenchrus spinifex
Cav.
Synonyms

Cenchrus incertus M.A.Curtis
Cenchrus pauciflorus Benth.[1]

Cenchrus spinifex, known commonly as the common sandbur or coastal sandbur, is a perennial grass that grows from 5 to 30 inches (13 to 76 cm) high in sandy or gravelly terrain. It is found throughout the southern United States southward into Mexico and the Caribbean, and also grows in the Philippines and South Africa. It is a noxious weed in Europe[2] where it was introduced.

The grass produces a bur, a type of grain fruit, consisting of eight to forty sharp, barbed spines that lodge in clothes, exposed feet, and fur.[3]

References

  1. "Taxon: Cenchrus spinifex Cav.". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. 2011-03-03. Retrieved 2011-03-06.
  2. DAISIE (2009). Handbook of Alien Species in Europe. Dordrecht: Springer. p. 399. ISBN 978-1-4020-8279-5.
  3. Cenchrus spinifex. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. 2008.

Media related to Cenchrus spinifex at Wikimedia Commons Data related to Cenchrus spinifex at Wikispecies


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