Weed of the Week

Weed of the Week!

From Amanda Homans, Agronomist for Decisive Farming.

Common name: Bluebur

Latin name: Lappula squarrosa

Bluebur is an annual weed that can be found in crop land, hay fields, rangelands, roadsides, and waste areas.  The seedlings are covered with short hairs and have a distinctive crease down the center of the leaf.  At this stage, Bluebur is commonly confused with night flowering catchfly.  There are some people that say that Bluebur seedlings smell like mouse-infested buildings.

When Bluebur has reached maturity, it produces tiny, blue flowers, and each flower has four bur-like seeds with two rows of sharp, hooked prickles.  The seeds readily stick to clothing and animal hair.