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Native Plant Database

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Xanthium strumarium var. canadense (Canada cockleburr)
Stone, Robert L.

Xanthium strumarium var. canadense (P. Mill.) Torr. & Gray

Canada cockleburr

Asteraceae (Aster Family)

USDA Symbol: XASTC

USDA Native Status: Native to U.S.

A cocklebur was the inspiration for a Swiss engineer, George deMastral, in 1948, for the invention of Velcro. He examined the burs that stuck to his socks and discovered that they consisted of hundreds of tiny hooks, which attached themselves to anything loopy.

 

From the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Annual
Habit: Herb
Flower:
Fruit:

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: Yellow

Distribution

USA: AL , AR , AZ , CA , CO , CT , DC , DE , FL , GA , HI , IA , ID , IL , IN , KS , KY , LA , MA , MD , ME , MI , MN , MO , MS , MT , NC , ND , NE , NH , NJ , NM , NV , NY , OH , OK , OR , PA , RI , SC , SD , TN , TX , UT , VA , VT , WA , WI , WV , WY
Canada: NB , NS , PE
USDA Native Status: L48(N), HI(I), CAN(N)

Benefit

Use Wildlife: Cocklebur seeds are the most frequently recorded food of the extinct Carolina Parakeet, the only parrot native to eastern North America, extinct in the early 20th century.
Attracts: Birds

From the National Organizations Directory

According to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is either on display or available from the following:

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center - Austin, TX

Wildflower Center Seed Bank

LBJWC-633 Collected 2007-12-09 in Blanco County by Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Bibliography

Bibref 1236 - The Carolina Parakeet: Glimpses of a Vanished Bird (2004) Snyder, Noel F. R.

Search More Titles in Bibliography

Recommended Species Lists

Find native plant species by state. Each list contains commercially available species suitable for gardens and planned landscapes. Once you have selected a collection, you can browse the collection or search within it using the combination search.

View Recommended Species page

Additional resources

USDA: Find Xanthium strumarium var. canadense in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Xanthium strumarium var. canadense in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Xanthium strumarium var. canadense

Metadata

Record Modified: 2009-03-06
Research By: TWC Staff

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