Cenchrus spinifex

{{short description|Species of plant}}

{{Speciesbox

|image = Cenchrus spinifex burrs.jpg

|genus = Cenchrus

|species = spinifex

|authority = Cav.

|synonyms = Cenchrus incertus M.A.Curtis

Cenchrus pauciflorus Benth.{{GRIN | accessdate=2011-03-06}}

}}

Cenchrus spinifex, known commonly as the common sandbur, coastal sandbur, stickerweed, or stickerbur, is a perennial grass that grows from {{convert|5|to|30|in|cm}} high in sandy or gravelly terrain. It is native to the southern United States southward into Mexico and the Caribbean. It has been introduced elsewhere in the United States{{Go Botany|genus=Cenchrus|species=spinifex}} and in the Philippines and South Africa.

It is a noxious weed in Europe.{{cite book |author= DAISIE |year= 2009 |title= Handbook of Alien Species in Europe |publisher= Springer |location= Dordrecht |pages= 399 |isbn= 978-1-4020-8279-5}}

The grass produces a bur, a type of grain fruit, consisting of eight to forty sharp, barbed spines that lodge in clothes, exposed feet, and fur.[http://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?id_plant=CESP4 Cenchrus spinifex.] Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. 2008.