PlantFiles: Buffalo Bur
Solanum rostratum

Note: Audubon Society says this plant is "Highly Toxic" (see below)

My wife and I first noticed this plant in our Lynnwood, Washington yard about 3 or 4 days ago. I took a picture of it, because it was so unusual looking. I sent the picture to a friend. In discussing it, I decided to look it up in my "The Audubon Society "Field Guide to North America, Wildflowers, Western Region." Color plate #210, informational text, page 790.
Further research lead me to this web page. The only reason I am commenting is that the Aubudon Society warned highly toxic and some of the people who commented on this web page seemed to have an interest in cultivating this invasive/toxic plant. (And I intend to cremate this plant, but not in a BBQ that I cook in! This thing just showed up-have no idea how it got here, have never seen another one before!)

This plant came up in my Western Wa, garden. Saw the bright yellow flowers among the petunias and reached in to identify. Very prickly. Pulled and pressed. The flowers helped with the ID as a solanum. Its a Class A weed here, but has not become established according to the Weed Board.

This plant volunteered in my flowerbed. After doing some research and realizing I had a monster on my hands, I carefully pulled it up and had my husband insinerate it in the BBQ grill before it could seed.

Attractive flowers and foliage, fantastic thorns, can control easily in very dry areas. Attracts butterflies and potato bugs. Very bad for pasture / grazing land, but nice addition to a garden or to use as a deterent to foot traffic. Pull in the fall before it seeds. Wear gloves.

While a pretty flowering plant, it is the most invasive plant I have seen. Large farms can become worthless in just a couple of years with out constant ploughing. My experience was in Southwestern Oklahoma.

I found a single solanum rostratum growing in Haines, Alaska in my manure pile in mid-July (2004) I have let it grow, as I have never seen such a plant before. Will probably pull it out before it seeds.

I have never seen a plant with thorns on the top of the leaves (big thorns, at that)! Two of these came up in my flower garden in Chico, California, this spring and I let them grow until the seed pods (resembling gooseberries) formed. None of our nurseries recognized the plant, but the State Agriculture Department office was able to identify it for me. No one can explain how it got into my garden. I suspect contaminated steer manure. Ugh! A vicious monster!

Buffalo Bur is highly invasive in the midwest. The stems are armed with yellow spines, it is very prickly. It reseeds and can take over an area quickly. I am constantly removing this weed.