Solanum rostratum

Buffalobur

Family: Solanaceae · Type: annual · Not Native

Buffalobur is a naturalized annual plant found in southern North Coast Ranges, California Rockies, Central Valley, Central Coast, southern South Coast Ranges, Southern California, and Modoc Plateau in disturbed places, roadsides, and fields at elevations below 1,400 meters. Flowering from May to September, this plant produces bright yellow flowers with a diameter of 15 to 35 millimeters, forming clusters of 5 to 12 blossoms. Growing with dense, straight prickles up to 12 millimeters long and reaching 1 to 7 decimeters tall, it has stellate hairs with 6 to 10 rays. Its leaves are 5 to 15 centimeters long, deeply lobed or divided nearly to the midrib, creating a complex and textured appearance. The fruit is brown, 9 to 12 millimeters long, and contains 33 to 80 small seeds measuring 2 to 3 millimeters.

Habitat: Disturbed places, roadsides, fields

Bloom period: May-Sep

Elevation: < 1400 m

Bioregions: s NCoRO, CaRF, GV, CCo, s SCoRO, SCo, MP

California counties: Los Angeles, Kern, Santa Barbara, Napa, San Diego, Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside, Inyo, Tehama, San Luis Obispo, Marin, Sonoma, Sacramento, Del Norte, Kings, Alameda, Contra Costa, Butte, Madera, Sutter, Yolo, Glenn, Colusa, Placer, Lake, Siskiyou, Monterey, Ventura, Tulare, Stanislaus, San Benito, Santa Cruz, Mendocino

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.