''Xanthium'' (cocklebur) is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...
of
flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...
s in the tribe
Heliantheae
The Heliantheae (sometimes called the sunflower tribe) are the third-largest tribe in the sunflower family (Asteraceae). With some 190 genera and nearly 2500 recognized species, only the tribes Senecioneae and Astereae are larger. The name is ...
within the family
Asteraceae
The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae w ...
, native to the
Americas
The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World.
Along with th ...
and eastern
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...
and some parts of south
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...
.
[
]
Description
Cockleburs are coarse, herbaceous annual plants growing to tall. The leaves are spirally arranged, with deeply toothed margins. Some species, notably '' Xanthium spinosum'', are also very thorny with long, slender spines at the leaf bases.[Flora of North America Vol. 21 Page 19, Lampourde, ''Xanthium'' Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 2: 987. 1753; Gen. Pl. ed. 5, 424. 1754. ]
/ref>
The flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...
heads are of two types; One, in short terminal branches, produces only pollen. The other, in clusters in the axils of the leaves, produces seed
A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiospe ...
.[
Unlike many other members of the family ]Asteraceae
The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae w ...
, whose seeds are airborne with a plume of silky hairs resembling miniature parachutes, cocklebur seeds are produced in a hard, spiny, globose
A sphere () is a geometrical object that is a three-dimensional analogue to a two-dimensional circle. A sphere is the set of points that are all at the same distance from a given point in three-dimensional space.. That given point is the ...
or oval double-chambered, single-seeded bur long. It is covered with stiff, hooked spines, which stick to fur and clothing and can be quite difficult to detach. These burs are carried long distances from the parent plant during seed dispersal
In Spermatophyte plants, seed dispersal is the movement, spread or transport of seeds away from the parent plant.
Plants have limited mobility and rely upon a variety of dispersal vectors to transport their seeds, including both abiotic vectors ...
by help of animals (zoochorous
In Spermatophyte plants, seed dispersal is the movement, spread or transport of seeds away from the parent plant.
Plants have limited mobility and rely upon a variety of dispersal vectors to transport their seeds, including both abiotic vectors, ...
).
Biology
Cockleburs are short-day plants, meaning they only initiate flowering when the days are getting shorter in the late summer and fall, typically from July to October in the Northern Hemisphere. They can also flower in the tropics where the daylength is constant.
Diversity
Over 200 names have been proposed for species, subspecies, and varieties within the genus. Most of these are regarded as synonyms of highly variable species. Some recognize as few as two or three species in the genus. Th
Global Compositae Checklist
recognizes the following
;Accepted species[Flann, C (ed) 2009+ Global Compositae Checklist ]
/ref>
* ''Xanthium albinum
''Xanthium orientale'' is a species of annual plant of the daisy family Asteraceae.
Use by Native Americans
The Zuni people use the plant for multiple purposes. The chewed seeds are rubbed onto the body before the cactus ceremony to protect it f ...
'' (Widd.) Scholz & Sukopp – Mongolia
Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 million, ...
* '' Xanthium argenteum'' Widder – Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
* ''Xanthium catharticum
''Xanthium'' (cocklebur) is a genus of flowering plants in the tribe Heliantheae within the family Asteraceae, native to the Americas and eastern Asia and some parts of south Asia .
Description
Cockleburs are coarse, herbaceous annual plants ...
'' Kunth – Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
, Bolivia, Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
* ''Xanthium cavanillesii
''Xanthium orientale'' is a species of annual plant of the daisy family Asteraceae.
Use by Native Americans
The Zuni people use the plant for multiple purposes. The chewed seeds are rubbed onto the body before the cactus ceremony to protect it f ...
'' Shouw – Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
* '' Xanthium inaequilaterum'' DC.
Augustin Pyramus (or Pyrame) de Candolle (, , ; 4 February 17789 September 1841) was a Swiss botanist. René Louiche Desfontaines launched de Candolle's botanical career by recommending him at a herbarium. Within a couple of years de Candolle ...
– China, India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
, Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainlan ...
* '' Xanthium mongolicum'' Kitag. – Mongolia
Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 million, ...
* ''Xanthium orientale
''Xanthium orientale'' is a species of annual plant of the daisy family Asteraceae.
Use by Native Americans
The Zuni people use the plant for multiple purposes. The chewed seeds are rubbed onto the body before the cactus ceremony to protect it f ...
'' L. – Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...
, North Africa
North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...
, Middle East
The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...
* '' Xanthium pungens'' Wallr. – Australia; naturalized in Eurasia
Eurasia (, ) is the largest continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. Primarily in the Northern and Eastern Hemispheres, it spans from the British Isles and the Iberian Peninsula in the west to the Japanese archipelago ...
* '' Xanthium saccharosum''
* '' Xanthium spinosum'' L. – spiny cocklebur, burreed, Bathurst burr – very widespread, nearly cosmopolitan
Cosmopolitan may refer to:
Food and drink
* Cosmopolitan (cocktail), also known as a "Cosmo"
History
* Rootless cosmopolitan, a Soviet derogatory epithet during Joseph Stalin's anti-Semitic campaign of 1949–1953
Hotels and resorts
* Cosmopoli ...
* ''Xanthium strumarium
''Xanthium strumarium'' (rough cocklebur, clotbur, common cocklebur, large cocklebur, woolgarie bur) is a species of annual plants of the family Asteraceae. Some sources claim it originates in southern Europe and Asia, but has been extensively na ...
'' L. – clotbur, rough cocklebur, large cocklebur, common cocklebur – very widespread, nearly cosmopolitan
Cosmopolitan may refer to:
Food and drink
* Cosmopolitan (cocktail), also known as a "Cosmo"
History
* Rootless cosmopolitan, a Soviet derogatory epithet during Joseph Stalin's anti-Semitic campaign of 1949–1953
Hotels and resorts
* Cosmopoli ...
;formerly included[
see '' Ambrosia''
* ''Xanthium artemisioides – ]Ambrosia arborescens
''Ambrosia arborescens'' is a species of plant in the family Asteraceae. It is native to the Andes from Colombia south to Bolivia.
In its native range, ''A. arborescens'' is used as a Medicinal plants, medicinal plant with analgesic, Anti-inflam ...
''
* ''Xanthium fruticosum – Ambrosia arborescens
''Ambrosia arborescens'' is a species of plant in the family Asteraceae. It is native to the Andes from Colombia south to Bolivia.
In its native range, ''A. arborescens'' is used as a Medicinal plants, medicinal plant with analgesic, Anti-inflam ...
''
Legal status
The cocklebur is legally listed as a noxious weed in the states of Arkansas
Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the O ...
and Iowa
Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to th ...
in the United States of America.
Toxicity and uses
The common cocklebur (''Xanthium strumarium
''Xanthium strumarium'' (rough cocklebur, clotbur, common cocklebur, large cocklebur, woolgarie bur) is a species of annual plants of the family Asteraceae. Some sources claim it originates in southern Europe and Asia, but has been extensively na ...
'') is a native of North America. It has become an invasive species worldwide. It invades agricultural lands and can be poisonous to livestock
Livestock are the domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to provide labor and produce diversified products for consumption such as meat, eggs, milk, fur, leather, and wool. The term is sometimes used to refer solely to animal ...
, including horses, cattle, and sheep. Some domestic animals will avoid consuming the plant if other forage is present, but less discriminating animals, such as pigs, will consume the plants and then sicken and die. The seedlings and seeds are the most toxic parts of the plants. Symptoms usually occur within a few hours, producing unsteadiness and weakness, depression, nausea
Nausea is a diffuse sensation of unease and discomfort, sometimes perceived as an urge to vomit. While not painful, it can be a debilitating symptom if prolonged and has been described as placing discomfort on the chest, abdomen, or back of the ...
and vomiting, twisting of the neck muscles, rapid and weak pulse, difficulty breathing, and eventually death.
The plant also has been used for making yellow dye, hence the name of the genus (Greek ''xanthos'' = 'yellow'). The many species of this plant, which can be found in many areas, may actually be varieties of two or three species. The seed oil
Vegetable oils, or vegetable fats, are oils extracted from seeds or from other parts of fruits. Like animal fats, vegetable fats are ''mixtures'' of triglycerides. Soybean oil, grape seed oil, and cocoa butter are examples of seed oils, or fa ...
is edible.
''Xanthium strumarium'' is known as ''cang er zi'' (苍耳子) in traditional Chinese medicine
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. It has been described as "fraught with pseudoscience", with the majority of its treatments having no logical mechanism of acti ...
. ''Xanthium'' is also used to treat nasal and sinus congestion.
The spines and seeds of this fruit are rich in a chemical called carboxyatractyloside
Carboxyatractyloside (CATR) is a highly toxic diterpene glycoside that inhibits the ADP/ATP translocase. It is about 10 times more potent than its analog atractyloside. While atractyloside is effective in the inhibition of oxidative phosphorylat ...
(CAT), formerly referred to as xanthostrumarin, which is the chemical that is responsible for most of the adverse effects from the use of ''cang er zi''. CAT has been shown to be a growth inhibitor in ''Xanthium'' and other plants, serving two functions, delaying seed germination and inhibiting the growth of other plants. Most of the chemical is concentrated in the spines. When the bur is prepared as an herbal remedy, the spines are usually removed, reducing the CAT content of the finished product.[Cutler, H. G. and R. J. Cole. (1983). Carboxyatractyloside: A compound from ''Xanthium strumarium'' and ''Atractylis gummifera'' with plant growth inhibiting properties. ''Journal of Natural Products'' 46(5) 609-13.]
In literature
In the O. Henry novel '' Cabbages and Kings'' cockleburrs (spelt thus) are used as a plot device
A plot device or plot mechanism
is any technique in a narrative used to move the plot forward. A clichéd plot device may annoy the reader and a contrived or arbitrary device may confuse the reader, causing a loss of the suspension of disbelie ...
in the chapters ''Shoes'' and ''Ships'' to persuade the normally barefooted inhabitants of a town in the fictitious banana republic
In political science, the term banana republic describes a politically unstable country with an economy dependent upon the export of natural resources. In 1904, the American author O. Henry coined the term to describe Honduras and neighboring c ...
of Anchuria to buy shoes
A shoe is an item of footwear intended to protect and comfort the human foot. They are often worn with a sock. Shoes are also used as an item of decoration and fashion. The design of shoes has varied enormously through time and from culture t ...
.
Gallery
File:Cocklebur Seedling West Texas 2003.jpg, ''X. strumarium''
File:Xanthium italicum ENBLA02.JPG, ''X. italicum''
File:Szerbtövis.jpg, ''X. spinosum''
File:XanthiumAlbinum2.jpg, ''X. albinum''
File:Arctium minus 2.jpg, Unidentified ''Xanthium''
See also
* List of beneficial weeds
This is a list of undomesticated or feral plants, generally considered weeds, yet having some positive effects or uses, often being ideal as companion plants in gardens.
Beneficial weeds can accomplish a number of roles in the garden or yard, in ...
* List of companion plants
This is a list of companion plants. Many more are in the list of beneficial weeds. Companion plants assist in the growth of others by attracting beneficial insects, repelling pests, or providing nutrients, shade, or support. They can be part o ...
* List of plants poisonous to equines
Many plants are poisonous to equines; the species vary depending on location, climate, and grazing conditions. In many cases, entire genera are poisonous to equines and include many species spread over several continents. Plants can cause reactio ...
References
Further reading
*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q598601
Asteraceae genera
Medicinal plants of Asia
Medicinal plants of North America
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus