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Montana Field Guide

Montana Field Guides

Long-spine Sandbur - Cenchrus longispinus
Other Names:  Innocent-weed, Mat Sandbur

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Non-native Species

Global Rank: G5
State Rank: SNA
C-value: 0


Agency Status
USFWS:
USFS:
BLM:


 

External Links

 
General Description
Warm season, annual bunchgrass. Stems decumbent, 18–60 cm. Leaves: blades 3–6 mm wide, flat and lax; ligule a fringe of hairs 1–2 mm long; sheaths with overlapping margins. Inflorescences a spike of burrs, with each burr enclosing 1 to 3 spikelets (the burrs are derived from fused sterile branches). Spikelets 6–8 mm long, glumes acute, the first 2–3 mm long, the second 4–6 mm long. Lemmas: fertile lemma with acute apices, awnless, hard-textured if fruit-brearing; palea enclosed by lemma. Disarticulation below the glumes; unit of dispersal the burr or cluster of spikelets (Lavin in Lesica et al. 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. BRIT Press. Fort Worth, TX).

Range Comments
Throughout nearly all of the U.S. and sporadically in southern Canada (Lavin in Lesica et al. 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. BRIT Press. Fort Worth, TX).

Observations in Montana Natural Heritage Program Database
Number of Observations: 8

(Click on the following maps and charts to see full sized version) Map Help and Descriptions
Relative Density

Recency

 

(Observations spanning multiple months or years are excluded from time charts)



Habitat
Open dry to moist sites in disturbance-prone settings (Lavin in Lesica et al. 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. BRIT Press. Fort Worth, TX).

Management

References
  • Literature Cited AboveLegend:   View Online Publication
    • Lesica, P., M.T. Lavin, and P.F. Stickney. 2012. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants. Fort Worth, TX: BRIT Press. viii + 771 p.
  • Additional ReferencesLegend:   View Online Publication
    Do you know of a citation we're missing?
    • King, L.A. 1980. Effects of topsoiling and other reclamation practices on nonseeded species establishment on surface mined land at Colstrip, Montana. M.Sc. Thesis. Bozeman, MT: Montana State University. 129 p.
    • Lesica, P., M.T. Lavin, and P.F. Stickney. 2022. Manual of Montana Vascular Plants, Second Edition. Fort Worth, TX: BRIT Press. viii + 779 p.
  • Web Search Engines for Articles on "Long-spine Sandbur"
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Citation for data on this website:
Long-spine Sandbur — Cenchrus longispinus.  Montana Field Guide.  .  Retrieved on , from