Xanthium (cocklebur) is a genus of flowering plants in the tribe Heliantheae within the family Asteraceae, native to the Americas and eastern Asia and some parts of south Asia. See more

Cockleburs are coarse, herbaceous annual plants growing to 50–120 cm (20–47 in) tall. The leaves are spirally arranged, with deeply toothed margins. Some species, notably See more

Cockleburs are short-day plants, meaning they only initiate flowering when the days are getting shorter in the late summer and fall, typically from July to October in the Northern Hemisphere. They can also flower in the tropics where the daylength is constant. See more

Over 200 names have been proposed for species, subspecies, and varieties within the genus. Most of these are regarded as synonyms of highly variable species. Some recognize as few as two or three species in the genus. The Global Compositae … See more

The cocklebur is legally listed as a noxious weed in the states of Arkansas and Iowa in the United States of America. See more

In the O. Henry novel Cabbages and Kings cockleburrs (spelt thus) are used as a plot device in the chapters Shoes and Ships to persuade the normally barefooted inhabitants of a town in the fictitious banana republic of Anchuria to buy shoes. See more

• X. strumarium
• X. italicum
• X. spinosum
• X. albinum See more