Xanthium spinosum Calflora

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Taxon Report

Xanthium spinosum L.

Spiny clotbur, Spiny cockleburr

Xanthium spinosum is an annual herb that is not native to California.


	Plant Range Observation Search ~1318 records in California Plant Characteristics

Bloom Period

Photos on Calflora


Genus:	Xanthium
Family:	Asteraceae
Category:	angiosperm
PLANTS group:	Dicot
Jepson eFlora section: eudicot

Toxicity: Do not eat any part of this plant.

Wetlands: Occurs usually in non wetlands, occasionally in wetlands

Habitat: disturbed

Communities: wetland-riparian, weed, characteristic of disturbed places

Name Status:
Accepted by JEF + PLANTS + POWO

Alternate Names:


PLANTS	Acanthoxanthium spinosum
PLANTS	Xanthium spinosum var. inerme

Information about Xanthium spinosum from other sources


Jepson eFlora USDA PLANTS Profile (XASP2) Photos on Calflora Photos on CalPhotos Google Images Photos on iNaturalist	ITIS Original Publication citation International Plants Names Index Search efloras.org (Flora of North America) BONAP Distribution Map Consortium of California Herbaria 2	Add an Observation Location Suitability Distribution by County
photos / record / common / links

Suggested Citation

Calflora: Information on California plants for education, research and conservation, with data contributed by public and private institutions and individuals. [web application]. 2025. The Calflora Database [a non-profit organization]. Available: https://www.calflora.org/ (Accessed: 03/28/2025).