# buffalo-bur (*Solanum rostratum*) Buffalo-bur is a prickly plant with bright yellow flowers that bloom in the summer. Its spiky leaves help protect it from hungry animals. This plant is often found in sunny places and can grow in tough conditions. - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 2/5 · Low - **Snaps:** 7 - **Habitat:** Grasslands ![buffalo-bur](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Solanum_rostratum_I.jpg&width=800) Photo: Juan Carlos Fonseca Mata, CC BY-SA 4.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Solanum_rostratum_I.jpg) ## Appearance The buffalo-bur is a spiny plant with deeply lobed leaves and bright yellow, star-shaped flowers. Its stems are densely covered in sharp, yellowish spines, and it produces distinctive globe-shaped, bur-like fruits encased in spiny calyces. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Magnoliopsida - **Order:** Solanales - **Family:** Solanaceae - **Genus:** Solanum ## Interesting facts - Buffalo-bur is so good at growing, it's considered a successful weed worldwide! - Each dried, spiky bur fruit can hide hundreds of tiny seeds inside. - Native Americans historically used parts of this plant for traditional medicine. - This spiky plant is surprisingly a wild cousin of the potato and tomato! ## Special abilities - **Spiny Shield:** Buffalo-bur has incredibly sharp spines covering its stems and leaves, helping it defend against hungry herbivores. - **Seed Slinger:** Its bur-like fruits cling to passing animals, allowing the buffalo-bur to cleverly spread its seeds far and wide. - **Tough Toxin:** This plant produces solanine toxins, making it unappetizing and mildly harmful to animals that try to eat it. ## Measurements & details - **Height:** 15-75 cm - **Spread:** 30-60 cm - **Flower Size:** 2-3 cm - **Bloom Season:** Summer to Fall - **Edible:** No - **Toxicity:** Moderate - **Lifecycle:** Annual - **Pollination Method:** Insect ## Ecological connections - **Pollinates:** Honey bee (*Apis mellifera*) — Collects nectar and pollen. - **Pollinates:** Common eastern bumblebee (*Bombus impatiens*) — Buzz-pollinates for pollen. - **Eaten by:** [Colorado potato beetle](https://www.snappit.app/explore/colorado-potato-beetle) (*Leptinotarsa decemlineata*) — Larvae may feed on leaves. ## Traits - [Ornamental](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/ornamental): Ornamental plants are cultivated primarily for their aesthetic appeal, enhancing landscapes and gardens with their attractive foliage, flowers, or form. - [Summer Blooming](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/summer-blooming): Summer blooming plants produce their flowers during the summer season, often providing vibrant color when many other plants have finished. - [Medicinal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/medicinal): Medicinal plants possess chemical compounds that can be used for therapeutic purposes to treat illnesses or maintain health. - [Drought Tolerant](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/drought-tolerant): Drought-tolerant plants can survive and flourish in conditions with limited water availability. - [Grassland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/grassland): Grassland habitats are terrestrial biomes dominated by grasses and herbaceous plants, supporting a variety of grazing animals. - [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms. - [Spiky/Thorny](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/spiky-thorny): Possessing sharp, pointed projections or spines on the body or surface. ## Collections - [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants) ## Safety **Danger:** 2/5 · Low Be careful around Buffalo-bur because its spines can poke you! ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify buffalo-bur? Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How tall is buffalo-bur? 15-75 cm ### How wide does buffalo-bur spread? 30-60 cm ### How big are the flowers on buffalo-bur? 2-3 cm ### When does buffalo-bur bloom? Summer to Fall ### Is buffalo-bur edible? No ### Is buffalo-bur toxic? Moderate ### What is buffalo-bur's lifecycle? Annual ## Where to spot - [McClellan Creek National Grassland](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/mcclellan-creek-national-grassland) — Texas, US · National Park - [Shackelford County Courthouse Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/shackelford-county-courthouse-historic-district) — Texas, US · Historic District - [Cameron Park Zoo](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/cameron-park-zoo) — Texas, US · Zoo - [Fort Atkinson](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/fort-atkinson) — Iowa, US · Forest - [Fredericksburg Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/fredericksburg-historic-district) — Texas, US · Historic District - [Indian Creek Recreation Area](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/indian-creek-recreation-area) — South Dakota, US · Park [View all places to see buffalo-bur](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/buffalo-bur) ## More Plants - [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*) - [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*) - [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*) - [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*) --- Source: [Buffalo-bur: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/buffalo-bur)