SANDBUR

any grass of the genus Cenchrus (family Poaceae), consisting of about 20 to 25 species native to warm, sandy areas of North America, North Africa, Asia, Europe, and the South Pacific. A sandbur usually is a shallow-rooted, spreading, weedy annual or perennial less than 100 cm (40 inches) tall. Sandbur flower spikelets are enclosed in rounded, sharp-spined burs that detach readily from the plant when ripe, often catching in the coats of or scratching the faces of grazing animals. The plants can be used for forage before the burs form.