Xanthium strumarium L.

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Photo: Helen Pickering
Cross the Sinde river going west on main road 100m walk left (climb over a fence) lot growing along the edge of the river up to the railway bridge.

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Synonyms:	Xanthium pungens Wallr.
Common names:	Giant cocklebur (English)
Frequency:
Status:	Probably introduced
Description:	Annual herb, to 1 m; branches without spines. Leaves petiolate, broadly deltate, concolorous; simple or 3-5-lobed; base usually cordate in outline but cuneate at the very base. Male capitula terminal on short axillary branchlets. Female capitulum with phyllaries connate around the 2 achenes. Fruit c. 2.3 cm bearing numerous spines with hooked tips.
Notes:
Derivation of specific name:
Habitat:	In disturbed ground and by streams
Flowering time:
Worldwide distribution:	Probably native in North America and widely naturalized throughout the world.
Botswana distribution:	N,SE
Growth form(s):
Endemic status:
Red data list status:
Insects associated with this species:
Spot characters:	Display spot characters for this species
Literature:	Beentje, H.J. & Ghazanfar, S.A. (eds.) (2005). Compositae (Part 3) Flora of Tropical East Africa Pages 817 - 818. (Includes a picture). Da Silva, M.C., Izidine, S. & Amude, A.B. (2004). A preliminary checklist of the vascular plants of Mozambique. Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 30 Sabonet, Pretoria Page 147. Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 29. Phiri, P.S.M. (2005). A Checklist of Zambian Vascular Plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 32 Page 35. Pickering, H. & Roe, E. (2009). Wild Flowers of the Victoria Falls Area Helen Pickering, London Page 42. (Includes a picture). Setshogo, M.P. (2005). Preliminary checklist of the plants of Botswana. Sabonet Report no. 37. Sabonet, Pretoria and Gaborone Page 39. Van Wyk, B. & Malan, S. (1988). Field Guide to the Wild Flowers of the Witwatersrand and Pretoria Region Struik, Cape Town Pages 118 - 119. (Includes a picture). Wild, H. (1955). Common Rhodesian Weeds Government of Rhodesia, Salisbury Page 78. as Xanthium pungens (Includes a picture). Wild, H. (1967). The Compositae of the Flora Zambesiaca area. 1. Heliantheae. Kirkia 6(1) Pages 3 - 4.

Other sources of information about Xanthium strumarium:

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Flora of Caprivi: Xanthium strumarium
Flora of Mozambique: Xanthium strumarium
Flora of Zambia: Xanthium strumarium
Flora of Zimbabwe: Xanthium strumarium

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Xanthium strumarium
African Plant Database: Xanthium strumarium
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Xanthium strumarium
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Xanthium strumarium
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Xanthium strumarium
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Xanthium strumarium
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Xanthium strumarium
JSTOR Plant Science: Xanthium strumarium
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Xanthium strumarium
Plants of the World Online: Xanthium strumarium
Tropicos: Xanthium strumarium
Wikipedia: Xanthium strumarium