Cenchrus langispinus

 American Indian Name

There were no Native Anerican names found for this plant.

Description

The sandbur is a grass that grows from eight to twenty-four inches and occasionally longer.  It is tufted, flattened, and often bent toward the base.  Sometimesit forms large mats.  It has a terminal spike of one to three inches long which is composed of six to twenty very spiny burs.  Sometimes the spike is partly enclosed by the upper leaf and it is often purplish when mature.  Each bur usually encloses two to three spikelets within a round, hard, pubescent covering that is armed with thirty to sixty- five stout spines.  The spikelets are usually two-flowered.

Location and Habitat
  
It is located throughout the mid west.  On the Omaha Reservation, it is located on the small baseball field and north of the school.  It is a common weed whose burs cling to clothing and fur. It is commonly found in waste areas, cultivated fields, roadsides, and lawns.  It prefers sandy or gravelly sites.

Uses

It provides good forage when it is immature and so the Native Americans would have prized it as a food for the buffalo.  There is no forage value after the formation of the burs and no known medicinal uses.

This Page was last update: Wednesday, December 20, 2006 at 2:09:02 PM
This page was originally posted: 12/11/06; 11:24:59 AM.
Copyright 2008 Plants of the Omaha Indian Reservation

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