Cenchrus spinifex

Cenchrus spinifex, known commonly as the common sandbur, coastal sandbur, stickerweed, or stickerbur, is a perennial grass that grows from 5 to 30 inches (13 to 76 cm) high in sandy or gravelly terrain. It is native to the southern United States southward into Mexico and the Caribbean. It has been introduced elsewhere in the United States^[2] and in the Philippines and South Africa. It is a noxious weed in Europe.^[3]

Cenchrus spinifex
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Clade:	Commelinids
Order:	Poales
Family:	Poaceae
Subfamily:	Panicoideae
Genus:	Cenchrus
Species:	C. spinifex
Binomial name
Cenchrus spinifex Cav.
Synonyms
Cenchrus incertus M.A.Curtis Cenchrus pauciflorus Benth.[1]

The grass produces a bur, a type of grain fruit, consisting of eight to forty sharp, barbed spines that lodge in clothes, exposed feet, and fur.^[4]

Gallery

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  Epizoochory: spiny burs of C. spinifex clinging to clothing on a beach in Vieste, Italy