Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council Plants Resource Page

Plant of the Month -

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Plant Description

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Cocklebur's common name owes to the 3/4 to 1 1/2 inch diameter seedpods emanating from its stems. The green burs are known to entangle in hair or stick to one's clothing if brushed against. Other features of the plant are its rather large (3-5 inch) 3-lobed leaves, spotted stems, and green flowers. It blooms from July to October.

This plant commonly grows near dry or wet creekbeds in fertile soil, or alternatively in grassy fields. It is actually a plant that is found all over the world.

Contributed by Liz Baumann


- Originally featured:
Last modified: May 13 2017 20:04:11.
References:
Wildflowers of the Santa Monica Mountains, by Milt McAuley
Flowering Plants: The Santa Monica Mountains, Coastal and Chaparral Regions of Southern California, by Nancy Dale
Chumash Ethnobotany: Plant Knowledge Among the Chumash People.., by Jan Timbrook
Images Botanical Terms for Leaves