Xanthium Mongolicum
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''Xanthium strumarium'' (rough cocklebur, Noogoora burr, clotbur, common cocklebur, large cocklebur, woolgarie bur) is a species of annual plants of the family
Asteraceae Asteraceae () is a large family (biology), family of flowering plants that consists of over 32,000 known species in over 1,900 genera within the Order (biology), order Asterales. The number of species in Asteraceae is rivaled only by the Orchi ...
. Some sources claim it originates in southern Europe and Asia, but has been extensively naturalized elsewhere. Others, such as the Flora of China and Flora of North America, state it originates in the Americas but was an early introduction to Eurasia.


Reproductive biology

The species is monoecious, with the flowers borne in separate unisexual heads: staminate (male) heads situated above the pistillate (female) heads in the inflorescence. The pistillate heads consist of two pistillate flowers surrounded by a spiny
involucre In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves in size, color, shape or texture. They also look ...
. Upon fruiting, these two flowers ripen into two brown to black achenes and they are completely enveloped by the involucre, which becomes a bur. The bur, being buoyant, easily disperses in the water for plants growing along waterways. However, the bur, with its hooked projections, is obviously adapted to dispersal via mammals by becoming entangled in their hair. Once dispersed and deposited on the ground, typically one of the seeds germinates and the plants grows out of the bur.


Toxic or medicinal phytochemistry

The plant may have some medicinal properties and has been used in traditional medicine in
South Asia South Asia is the southern Subregion#Asia, subregion of Asia that is defined in both geographical and Ethnicity, ethnic-Culture, cultural terms. South Asia, with a population of 2.04 billion, contains a quarter (25%) of the world's populatio ...
and
traditional Chinese medicine Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is an alternative medicine, alternative medical practice drawn from traditional medicine in China. A large share of its claims are pseudoscientific, with the majority of treatments having no robust evidence ...
. In Telugu, this plant is called Marula Matangi. However, while small quantities of parts of the mature plants may be consumed, the seeds and seedlings should not be eaten in large quantities because they contain significant concentrations of the extremely toxic chemical carboxyatractyloside. The mature plant also contains at least four other toxins. *Animals have also been known to die after eating the plants. *A patient consuming a traditional Chinese medicine containing cocklebur called ''Cang Er Zi Wan'' (苍耳子丸) developed muscle spasms. * It was responsible for at least 19 deaths and 76 illnesses in
Sylhet Sylhet (; ) is a Metropolis, metropolitan city in the north eastern region of Bangladesh. It serves as the administrative center for both the Sylhet District and the Sylhet Division. The city is situated on the banks of the Surma River and, as o ...
District,
Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...
, 2007. People ate large amounts of the plants, locally called ''ghagra shak'', because they were starving during a
monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in Atmosphere of Earth, atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annu ...
flood A flood is an overflow of water (list of non-water floods, or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are of significant con ...
and no other plants were available. The symptoms included vomiting and altered mental states, followed by unconsciousness.


Gallery

File:Xanthium strumarium 000.jpg, Fruit File:Xanthium strumarium 001.jpg, Leaves File:Xanthium strumarium MHNT.BOT.2004.0.213.jpg, ''Xanthium strumarium'' – MHNT


See also

*
Arctium ''Arctium'' is a genus of biennial plants commonly known as burdock, family Asteraceae. Native to Europe and Asia, several species have been widely introduced worldwide. Burdock's clinging properties, in addition to providing an excellent mecha ...


References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q857159 strumarium Flora of Northern America Flora of Europe Flora of temperate Asia Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Plants used in Native American cuisine Plants used in traditional Chinese medicine Plants used in traditional Native American medicine