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

V12 780-distribution-map.jpg

Introduced; Fla., Ga., La., s Africa, introduced 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.
... more about "Tribulus cistoides"
Duncan M. Porter +
Linnaeus +
Burr-nut +  and Jamaican feverplant +
Fla. +, Ga. +, La. +, s Africa +, introduced also in Mexico +, West Indies +, n South America +  and Pacific Islands. +
0–10 m. +
Dry disturbed habitats, especially in maritime areas. +
Flowering year-round. +
Weedy +, Introduced +  and Illustrated +
Tribulus cistoides +
Tribulus +
species +