Coastal Sandbur

The bane of my childhood bare feet.

We called these plants with sharp-pointed burs "sticker burs" or just "stickers" -- and we cursed them. Though my vocabulary of profane expressions wasn't nearly as advanced as it is today, the juvenile oaths I directed at Cenchrus sp. (probably Cenchrus spinifex) were just as intense as any I could conjure up today. I mean, what's the point of living in a climate that allows going without shoes for almost nine months of the year if these foot-piercing burs abound in all but the most carefully manicured lawns?

Additional Information:
USDA
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Coastal Sandbur