Xanthium spinosum
Common name
Bathurst bur
Family
Asteraceae
Flora category
Vascular – Exotic
Structural class
Herbs - Dicotyledonous composites
Features
An erect, spined plant, annual, growing up to a metre. Spines on the stem are straight but those on the fruit are hooked, enabling seed dispersal in animal fur, wool etc. Leaf underside covered with dense grey-white tomentum. Can be distinguished from X . stromarium by the axillary spines and the short-beaked fruiting involucre.
Similar taxa
Can be distinguished from X . stromarium by the axillary spines and the short-beaked fruiting involucre.
Flowering
December, January, February, March, April
Fruiting
Dec-July
Year naturalised
1867
Origin
South America
Dispersal
Animal wool, fur etc. Packs, bags, clothing and any fibrous material. Burs also float on water and are moved rapidly along watercourses.