Tribulus cistoides

Linnaeus

Sp. Pl. 1: 387. 1753.

Common names: Burr-nut Jamaican feverplant
WeedyIntroducedIllustrated
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 12. Treatment on page 38. Mentioned on page 37.

Herbs, perennial; herbage hairy (often silvery gray), becoming glabrate. Stems prostrate to suberect, green to reddish, to 0.8 m, densely sericeous, ± hirsute, especially at nodes. Leaves 2.5–8.5 × 1–2.6 cm; stipules 3–9 × 1–4 mm; leaflets 12–16 (–20), obliquely oblong to elliptic, largest 6–21 × 2.5–9 mm, densely sericeous when young, whitish abaxially. Pedicels longer than shorter pair of leaves, in flower (6–) 19–35 mm, in fruit 11–34 mm, apex bent. Flowers 15–25 mm diam.; sepals lanceolate, 5–9 × 1.5–3.5 mm, ciliate, densely strigose, silky-pubescent; petals obovate-cuneate, (5.5–) 7–17 × (3–) 5–11 mm; outer whorl of nectary glands green, inner whorl basally connate into 5-lobed urceolate ring surrounding base of ovary, yellow, broadly triangular, to 1 mm; stamen filaments 2.5–5 mm; anthers yellow, oblong-cordate to narrowly sagittate, 1–3 mm; ovary 1.5–3 mm diam.; style 5-ridged, cylindric, stout, 1–2 mm; stigma globose to pyramidal. Schizocarps 8–10 mm diam. excluding 7 mm spines; mericarps bearing 2 conic spreading 5–7 mm dorsal spines and sometimes 2 smaller retrorse spines near base [rarely spines absent and mericarps tuberculate, or spine 1], body green to gray, hispid, densely sericeous to strigose or glabrate.


Phenology: Flowering year-round.
Habitat: Dry disturbed habitats, especially in maritime areas.
Elevation: 0–10 m.

Distribution

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Introduced; Fla., Ga., La., s Africa, also in Mexico, West Indies, n South America, Pacific Islands

Discussion

Tribulus cistoides, native to tropical and subtropical southern Africa, is occasionally grown in sandy soils as a garden ornamental or along roads to stabilize shifting soils (D. M. Porter 1972). Although T. cistoides has been reported from Texas, no specimen has been seen and it apparently does not occur there. The species has been introduced to the Galápagos Islands, but not to mainland Ecuador.

Selected References

None.

Lower Taxa

None.

"densely sericeous" is not a number. "strigose or glabrate" is not a number.

... more about "Tribulus cistoides"
unappendaged +
subulate +
oblong-cordate +  and narrowly sagittate +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> - 0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> +
tuberculate +
Duncan M. Porter +
Linnaeus +
triangular +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> - 0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> +
coriaceous +  and fleshy +
green;gray +
Burr-nut +  and Jamaican feverplant +
Fla. +, Ga. +, La. +, s Africa +, also in Mexico +, West Indies +, n South America +  and Pacific Islands +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> - 0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br /> +
0–10 m. +
0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br /> - 1.9 cm19 mm <br />0.019 m <br /> +
1.5 cm15 mm <br />0.015 m <br /> - 2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br /> +
1.9 cm19 mm <br />0.019 m <br /> - 3.5 cm35 mm <br />0.035 m <br /> +
1.1 cm11 mm <br />0.011 m <br /> - 3.4 cm34 mm <br />0.034 m <br /> +
loculicidal +, septicidal +  and dehiscence +
5-angled +  and depressed +
2-lobed +
Dry disturbed habitats, especially in maritime areas. +
bulbous-based +
upward-spreading +
glabrate +  and hairy +
2.5 cm25 mm <br />0.025 m <br /> - 8.5 cm85 mm <br />0.085 m <br /> +
smaller +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> - 2.6 cm26 mm <br />0.026 m <br /> +
0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br /> - 2.1 cm21 mm <br />0.021 m <br /> +
obliquely oblong;elliptic +
0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br /> - 0.9 cm9 mm <br />0.009 m <br /> +
pinnate +  and entire +
triangular +
intrastaminal +  and extrastaminal +
evergreen +
swollen +  and angled +
0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br /> - ? +  and 0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> - ? +
5-lobed +
longer than shorter pair +
opposite +  and imbricate +
0.55 cm5.5 mm <br />0.0055 m <br /> - 0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br /> +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> - 0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> +
distinct +, adnate +  and free +
white;bright-yellow +
deciduous +
distinct +
7mm;17mm +
obovate-cuneate +
unequal +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> - 1.1 cm11 mm <br />0.011 m <br /> +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> - 0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> +
Flowering year-round. +
- 2-5-carpellate +
urceolate +  and 5-lobed +
3 +  and 5 +
oblong-ovoid +
distinct +
silky-pubescent +  and strigose +
lanceolate +
0.15 cm1.5 mm <br />0.0015 m <br /> - 0.35 cm3.5 mm <br />0.0035 m <br /> +
Weedy +, Introduced +  and Illustrated +
7 cm70 mm <br />0.07 m <br /> - ? +
0.25 cm2.5 mm <br />0.0025 m <br /> - 0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> +
green +  and reddish +
prostrate;suberect +
hirsute +  and sericeous +
ridged +  and terete +
0 cm0 mm <br />0 m <br /> - 80 cm800 mm <br />0.8 m <br /> +
succulent +
papillose +
globose +  and pyramidal +
0.3 cm3 mm <br />0.003 m <br /> - 0.9 cm9 mm <br />0.009 m <br /> +
subulate +  and falcate +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> - ? +  and 0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> - ? +
deciduous +
cylindric +  and 5-ridged +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> - 0.2 cm2 mm <br />0.002 m <br /> +
Tribulus cistoides +
Tribulus +
species +