PlantPeers
Back to Catalog
No image available
Asteraceae FAMILY

Xanthium commune

Xanthium commune

Edibility
1/5
Medicinal
0/5

Safety & Hazards

Poisonous[1, 2]. Most members of this genus are toxic to grazing animals and are usually avoided by them[3]. The seed also contains toxins[3].

Cultivation Details

HabitAnnual
Growth—

We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain, though judging by its native range it is likely to succeed outdoors in many parts of the country. This species is treated by some botanists as a synonym of X. strumarium[4]. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus. An easily grown plant, it succeeds in most soils but requires a sunny position. Plants often self sow.

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in situ. The seed requires plenty of moisture in order to germinate. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Xanthium+commune>

Pollinators

Insects

References

  1. [1]A Colour Atlas of Poisonous Plants. — Frohne. D. and Pfänder. J. · Wolfe · 1984 · ISBN 0723408394 ↩︎Brilliant. Goes into technical details but in a very readable way. The best work on the subject that I've come across so far.
  2. [2]Poisonous Plants in Britain and their Effects on Animals and Man. — Cooper. M. and Johnson. A. · HMSO · 1984 · ISBN 0112425291 ↩︎Concentrates mainly on the effects of poisonous plants to livestock.
  3. [3]A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. — Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. · Houghton Mifflin Co. · 1990 · ISBN 0395467225 ↩︎A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties.
  4. [4]Flora of N. America — http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/fna/ ↩︎An on-line version of the flora with an excellent description of the plant including a brief mention of plant uses.
  5. [5]Gray's Manual of Botany.Eighth Edition — Fernald. M. L. · American Book Co.; New York · 1950 · ISBN 0442222505 ↩︎A bit dated but a good and concise flora of the eastern part of N. America.
  6. [6]Food Plants of the N. American Indians. — Yanovsky. E. · U.S. Depf of Agriculture. · ISBN - ↩︎A comprehensive but very terse guide. Not for the casual reader.