Field sandbur
June 10, 2015
Cenchrus incertus M.A. Curtis Poaceae (Grass family)
Life cycle
Prostrate to ascending summer annual.
Field sandbur mature plant.
Leaves
Leaves are folded in the bud, sparsely hairy with a rough texture. Heavily compressed leaf sheaths are hairless at maturity with hairy margins.
Field sandbur seedling.
Ligule
Hairy ring.
Field sandbur hairy ligule.
Stems
Prostrate to ascending stems up to 1.5 feet tall are capable of rooting at the nodes. Mature stems are often compressed with swollen nodes.
Flowers and fruit
The seedhead is a slender unbranched spike made up of bur-like seeds. Each spike has five to 15 ovoid burs.
Reproduction
Seeds.
Field sandbur seedhead.
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