cocklebur
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cocklebur
Cocklebur
plant of the genus Xanthium; annual grasses of the Compositae family. The flowers are tubular and unisexual and are formed in unisexual calathide heads. The staminal calathides are multiflorous, round, and apical; the pistil calathides each have two blossoms; both develop on a single plant. Estimates of the number of species range from just a few to 25, and they are found all over the world. There are seven species in the USSR. The most widely found is burweed (X. strumarium), which grows as a weed on vacant land, on cultivated land, and in gardens, along roads, and near houses. Thorny cocklebur (X. spinosum), which has long two- or three-segment spikes at the base of its leaves, is found in the southern regions of the USSR (in refuse areas, along roads, and in pastures).
T. V. EGOROVA