Field sandbur
June 10, 2015
Print
EmailCenchrus incertus M.A. Curtis Poaceae (Grass family)
Life cycle
Prostrate to ascending summer annual.
Field sandbur mature plant.
Leaves
Leaves are folded in the bud, sparsely hairy with a rough texture. Heavily compressed leaf sheaths are hairless at maturity with hairy margins.
Field sandbur seedling.
Ligule
Hairy ring.
Field sandbur hairy ligule.
Stems
Prostrate to ascending stems up to 1.5 feet tall are capable of rooting at the nodes. Mature stems are often compressed with swollen nodes.
Flowers and fruit
The seedhead is a slender unbranched spike made up of bur-like seeds. Each spike has five to 15 ovoid burs.
Reproduction
Seeds.
Field sandbur seedhead.
Print a PDF of this page: Field sandbur
Other Documents in this Series
You Might Also Be Interested In
-
Celebrating 100 years of Michigan State University Extension in Alcona County
Published on October 19, 2017
-
Growing degree-day accumulations around Michigan
Published on August 16, 2017
-
Virtual MI Ag Ideas to Grow With conference returns for sixth year with focus on food and livestock production
Published on January 27, 2026
-
Beginning farmers have plenty to gain from MI Ag Ideas to Grow With
Published on January 21, 2026
-
MSU Extension announces statewide public listening sessions in November and December
Published on November 6, 2023
-
Increasing plant quality is a focus of 2016 Greenhouse Growers Expo
Published on November 2, 2016
Accessibility Questions:
For questions about accessibility and/or if you need additional accommodations for a specific document, please send an email to ANR Communications & Marketing at anrcommunications@anr.msu.edu.