Oklahoma State University
Stillwater, OK

Oklahoma Alfalfa
Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service
Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station

Field Sandbur

COMMON NAME: Field Sandbur
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Cenchrus incertus M.A. Curtis
TYPE: Annual Warm-season Weedy Grass
DESCRIPTION                                             
    Germination: May to August.
    Reproduction: By seeds in June to October.
    Stems: Often spreading and mat-like, 6 inches to 2 feet long.
    Leaves: Blades smooth, twisted, 2 to 5 inches long.
Flowers/
Inflorescence:
A raceme of burs, spikelets 2-flowered, 1-3 spikelets per bur.
Fruit: Seed unit with 1-3 spikelets per unit.

FOUND:

Field sandbur is found mostly on sandy soil. It is troublesome mainly because the spiny burs cause discomfort to livestock.

CONTROL:

Field sandbur has continual emergence throughout the summer and causes problems with control especially with non-residual herbicides like POAST PLUS and SELECT. Some control has resulted with dormant incorporated applications of TREFLAN in February-March.
In Alfalfa Plant Leaf tn_sandbur-03_jpg.jpg (1721 bytes)
Plant
tn_sandbur-04_jpg.jpg (1172 bytes)
Seed Head
Additional Field Sandbur Images
Jim Stritzke
Former Alfalfa Weed Control Specialist
Department of Plant and Soil Sciences
Oklahoma State University

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