Xanthium strumarium

It is a weedy annual plant known for its prickly burs that can stick to clothing and fur. It has a stout, hairy stem, large, rough leaves, and is toxic to livestock, especially the seedlings. While some parts have been used in traditional medicine, the plant is poisonous and should not be consumed. The stems are round or slightly ribbed. They are often speckled with purple and have short white hairs scattered across the surface. The alternate leaves are up to 8 in long and 6 in across. They are cordate or ovate-cordate with bases that are well-rounded or indented and tips that are broad and blunt. Their margins are shallowly lobed or coarsely toothed, while the upper surface has a sandpapery texture. Because Common Cocklebur is monoecious, each raceme produces several male compound flowers along its upper half, while several female compound flowers occur in the lower half. The male compound flowers are about ¼ inch across, consisting of numerous staminate florets that have stamens with prominent white anthers. The female compound flowers are initially green, but turn brown as they mature and are slow to detach from the racemes. Each female flower within the bur-like bract produces a single oblong seed that more or less tapers to a point at each end. The seeds are often covered with dark membranes. The edges of Lake Mead are covered with this cocklebur.