Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Rosids: Fabids: Zygophyllales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Tribulus terrestris
FAMILY
Zygophyllaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Check out EDDMapS.org to see where this has been reported.
Learn more about Puncture-weed from the Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Tribulus terrestris
FAMILY
Zygophyllaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Tribulus terrestris
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 12 (2016)
Tribulus terrestris
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Tribulus terrestris
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 102-01-001:
Tribulus terrestris FAMILY Zygophyllaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Tribulus terrestris
COMMON NAME:
Puncture-weed, Caltrop, Devil's-thorn, Puncture Vine
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_trte_001_lvd
)
USDA / Selected Weeds of the US. 1970 swus_page_243
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/14/23):
Tribulus terrestris
FAMILY
Zygophyllaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Tribulus terrestris
FAMILY
Zygophyllaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Tribulus terrestris
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 12
Tribulus terrestris
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America (Kartesz, 1999)
Tribulus terrestris
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 102-01-001:
Tribulus terrestris
FAMILY
Zygophyllaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Tribulus terrestris
1528
Forb
Annual
Habitat: dunes, sandy roadsides, ballast, per Weakley's Flora
Non-native: Mediterranean Europe
Rare
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
This plant may be causing problems in natural areas outside its native range, according to authorities such as:
IS THE PLANT "ARMED"?
Fruit armed with 2-4 spreading spines
LEAVES:
Even-pinnately compound: 8-10 & 12-18 leaflets
Opposite
FLOWER:
Spring/Summer/Fall
Yellow
5 sepals
5 petals
10 stamens
Flowers solitary in leaf axils
FRUIT:
Spring/Summer/Fall
Schizocarp of mericarps
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Invasive Plants, Guide to Identification, Impacts and Control (Kaufman & Kaufman, 2007) p343
- Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005) p167
- Weeds of Southern Turfgrasses (Murphy et al., 1992) p199
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".