Xanthium strumarium L. var. canadense (Mill.) Torr. & A. Gray
Beach clotbur, Canada cocklebur, rough cocklebur
Kingdom Plantae Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom Tracheobionta Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division Magnoliophyta Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class Magnoliopsida Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass Asteridae A large class that encompasses asters
Order Asterales Flowering plants with a central disk flower and surrounding petals, like daisies
Family Asteraceae The aster family, which also includes daisies and sunflowers; from the Greek ἀστήρ, “star,” for the star-shaped flowers
Genus Xanthium Cocklebur family, from Greek xanthos, “yellow”, possibly because a yellow dye can be prepared from this
Species strumarium From Latin strumosus, “swollen,” for the cockleburs
var. canadense “From Canada”
About plant names...
These plants are North American natives.
Identification: Cockleburs are 8-48″ (20-121 cm) tall, and
generally found near wet areas. Leaves are 2-6″ (5-15 cm) long, on stalks about the same length, shaped like
a cross between a heart and a maple leaf, with scalloped edges. Flowers are greenish, with male and female flowers on same plant. The oval-shaped burs that form from female flowerheads are the most distinctive identifying
feature. They are ½-1½″ (1.3-3.8 cm) long.
From Britton, Nathaniel Lord, and Brown, Addison, An illustrated flora of the northern United States, Canada and the British Possessions , 1913.
Online References:
Forest and Kim Starr’s Starr Environmental site
Wikimedia Commons
The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
SEINet—the Southwest Environmental Information Network
Luirig.altervista.org
9/6/2023 · Beach near Cook’s Lobster and Ale House, Bailey Island, Maine
Older scientific or horticultural names
Xanthium acerosum Greene
Xanthium californicum Greene
Xanthium campestre Greene
Xanthium canadense Mill.
Xanthium cavanillesii Schouw
Xanthium californicum Greene var. rotundifolium Widder
Xanthium cenchroides Millsp. & Sherff
Xanthium commune Britton
Xanthium echinatum Murray
Xanthium glanduliferum Greene
Xanthium italicum Moretti
Xanthium macounii Britton
Xanthium oligacanthum Piper
Xanthium oviforme Wallr.
Xanthium pensylvanicum Wallr.
Xanthium saccharatum Wallr.
Xanthium speciosum Kearney
Xanthium strumarium L. ssp. italicum (Moretti) D. Löve
Xanthium strumarium L. var. oviforme (Wallr.) M. Peck
Xanthium strumarium L. var. pensylvanicum (Wallr.) M. Peck
Xanthium varians Greene
Xanthium strumarium var. canadense description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 7 Sep 2023.
© FloraFinder.org. All rights reserved.
10/4/2008 · Parker River National Wildlife Refuge, Plum Island, Massachusetts · ≈ 4½ × 7″ (11 × 17 cm)
9/12/2010 · Nova Scotia, Canada · By Kathy Williamson
9/6/2023 · Beach near Cook’s Lobster and Ale House, Bailey Island, Maine
10/4/2008 · Parker River National Wildlife Refuge, Plum Island, Massachusetts
Range: Zones 3a-11:
About this map...
