Bur-grasses
What are they?
The Bur-grasses may well be familiar to anyone who has walked through dry, sandy ground as their spikey flower and seed heads are designed to latch onto passing animals as a mechanism for spreading plants to new areas. The spines toughen as the seeds ripen to become as hard as splinters of wood and can be very painful if walking barefoot!
Where are they found?
Bur-grasses grow extensively in dry, sandy soils in open fields and, especially, on coastal dunes and beaches.
Identification
The stout, vicious spines make these plants instantly recognisable. Young plants have leaves folded in half length-ways, flattened stems and an odd appearance like a young pine tree. See the individual comments below for species recognition.
Sand-dune Bur-grass Cenchrus tribuloides
(Sand-dune Sandbur) Typically a plant of coastal dunes and sandy beaches. Flowers July to September. Differs from Small Bur-grass in typically having flower clusters that are more hairy between the spines and having up to 43 spines.
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Small Bur-grass Cenchrus longispinus
(Mat Sandbur) Fairly widespread on any dry, sandy, open ground in fields and waste places as well as coastal locations. Flowers July to September. Differs from Sand-dune Bur-grass in typically having flower clusters that are less hairy between the spines and having 45 or more spines (should you choose to count them!).
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