Xanthium strumarium L.

Taxonomy: Plantae > Tracheophyta > Magnoliopsida > Asterales > Asteraceae > Xanthium > X. strumarium

Description: Coarse annual herb to 1.5 m high; stems scabridulous, often reddish. Leaves broadly deltate or broadly ovate, simple or 3–5-lobed, 5–12 cm long, 4–18 cm wide, base cordate as well as broadly cuneate, margins coarsely crenate, apex acute or obtuse, scabrid on both surfaces; 3-veined from base; petiole to 12 cm long. Female capitula to 4 mm long, with connate involucre. Male capitula terminal on short axillary branches; involucre ± 3 mm long; corolla ± 2.5 mm long. Fruits,Fruit ellipsoid, 1.5–2.3 cm long, covered in hooked spines 3–4 mm long, apex acute.

Flowering and fruiting: July - September

Uses: Has been used for various medicinal purposes, including the treatment of malaria in India. The genus name is derived from the Greek root 'Xanthos' which means 'yellow', and the plant may once have been used to produce a dye

Cultivation: Cultivated, Wild

References

http://www.plantsoftheworldonline.org

https://indiabiodiversity.org