XANTHIUM L. - COCKLEBUR
Scientific Description:
Annual herbs. Leaves alternate, entire or lobed. Capitula unisexual, monoecious, solitary or clustered, males terminally, females nearer base of shoots. Male capitulum: phyllaries 1-seriate; receptacle paleaceous; flowers numerous; corolla greenish, tubular, 5-toothed; filaments monadelphous, anthers free; gynoecium rudimentary. Female capitulum: ovoid and 2-locular (each cavity containing 1 flower); phyllaries gamophyllous, hardened and modified into straight or hooked spines; apex of capitulum bearing 2 stout, simple or hooked beaks; corolla absent; style branches exserted through a hole on inside of each beak; achene obovoid, naked. Wind pollinated, synaptospermous.
Reference:
Kupicha FK (1975). Xanthium L., In: Davis PH (ed.), Flora of Turkey and the East Aegean Islands, Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh, 5: 47.
Public Description:
Xanthium is a genus of annual herbs, known as “cocklebur”, and is native to the North and South America and eastern Asia. There are 11 species in the world and 3 species (4 taxa) in Türkiye. They are annual herbs and characterized by their hooked spines on fruits. They are short-day plants, that is, they bloom in late summer and autumn when days are getting shorter. Some species have been used to obtain a yellow dye.
References:
Anonymous 1 (2016). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xanthium, Accessed date: 02.02.2016.
Anonymous 2 (2016). http://www.itmonline.org/arts/xanthium.htm, Accessed date: 02.02.2016.
Anonymous 3 (2016). http://www.theplantlist.org/1.1/browse/A/Compositae/Xanthium/, Accessed date: 02.02.2016.
Ekim, T. (2012). Xanthium L. In: Güner, A., Aslan, S., Ekim, T., Vural, M. & Babaç, M.T. (eds.), Türkiye Bitkileri Listesi (Damarlı Bitkiler). Nezahat Gökyiğit Botanik Bahçesi ve Flora Araştırmaları Derneği Yayını. İstanbul, pp. 216.
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