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Morphology
- Culm
- Erect or decumbent, tufted, flattened, often bent near bases.
- Blades
- Flat, 2 to 10 inches long, less than 1/4 inch wide, rough; tips tapering to points.
- Sheath
- Glabrous, usually loose, flattened; margins sometimes hairy.
- Ligule
- Short membranes, fringed with hairs.
- Inflorescence
- Spikes, 1 to 3 inches long, terminal, sometimes partly enclosed by upper leaf, often purplish when mature; burs 6-20, hard, hairy, armed with 30-65 stout spines, enclosing 1-3 spikelets.
- Spikelets
- 2-flowered, upper floret perfect, lower floret sterile; glumes unequal; tips pointed; lemmas narrow, glabrous; tips pointed.
Ecology
- Habitat
- Waste areas, cultivated fields, roadsides, and lawns, on sandy or gravelly sites.
- Distribution
- Throughout Kansas.
Practical Information
- Forage Value
- It provides good forage when immature but has no forage value after it forms burs.
Additional Notes
Comments
Tufted. Sandbur is a common weed that sometimes forms large mats. The burs cling to clothing and fur and can injure the eyes, noses, and mouths of livestock.
Quick Facts
- Plant Type
- Grass
- Family
- Poaceae - Grass Family
- Life Span
- Annual
- Height
- 8-32 inches
- Last Updated
- 2007-09-12
Flowering Period
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Blooms: July, August, September