Images
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Morphology
- Stem
- Erect, single, much-branched, covered with tiny star-shaped hairs, armed with yellow spines.
- Leaves
- Alternate, stalked, egg-shaped to broadly elliptic in outline, 1-2 times pinnately lobed or cleft, 1.5 to 6 inches long, 1 to 4 inches wide; lobes irregular, spiny, star-shaped hairy; tips rounded.
- Inflorescence
- Racemes, 5-15-flowered, short-stalked, near ends of branches.
- Flower
- 3/4 to 1 inch wide; calyces 5-lobed, very spiny; corollas somewhat flattened, 5-lobed, bright yellow; stamens 5, curving forward and down; anthers 4 yellow, alike, 1 purplish, enlarged, longer.
- Fruit
- Berries, spherical, to 2/5 inch in diameter, enclosed by spiny calyx; seeds numerous, egg- to kidney-shaped, pitted, dark.
Ecology
- Habitat
- Disturbed sites, overgrazed pastures, waste areas, feedlots, and roadsides.
- Distribution
- Throughout Kansas.
Additional Notes
Comments
The common name "buffalo bur" alludes to the plant's tendency to grow abundantly around bison wallows. Buffalo bur is drought resistant and extremely aggressive. It often thrives in actively-used cattle corrals. When mature, the main stem breaks near the ground and the plant rolls like a tumbleweed, scattering thousands of seeds.
Quick Facts
- Plant Type
- Wildflower
- Family
- Solanaceae - Nightshade Family
- Life Span
- Annual
- Height
- 8-28 inches
- Origin
- Native
- Last Updated
- 2007-07-31
Color Groups
Yellow Wildflowers
Flowering Period
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Blooms: May, June, July, August, September