Tribulus terrestris

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Distribution Map: Based on vouchered plant specimens only. View county names by placing the mouse cursor over a particular county.

Species Distribution Map
Family:ZYGOPHYLLACEAE
Species:Tribulus terrestris L.
Common Name:Puncture Vine; Devil's Thorn; Puncture Weed
Habitat:**
Associated Ecological Communities:**
Growth Habit:Herb
Duration:Annual
Category:Vascular
USDA Symbol:TRTE
Plant Notes:Puncture Vine is an introduced annual herb in the Creosote-Bush family (Zygophyllaceae). It is native to the Mediterranean region, but has spread to dry temperate areas worldwide. In Alabama it has been found in widely scattered locations across the state. Puncture Vine occurs in fields and pastures, on roadsides, along railroads, and in cracks of sidewalks and parking lots. It is an annual with a taproot. The stems are prostrate, green or reddish in color, and pubescent. Leaves are opposite or alternate (one of each pair abortive), petiolate, and even-pinnately compound with 6-12 leaflets. When opposite one of each pair is usually smaller. The leaflets are ovate to elliptic in outline, entire, and pubescent. Flowers are solitary from the axils of the leaves. Each flower has 5 green ovate-lanceolate sepals, 10 nectary glands in two whorls, and 5 yellow petals. The fruit is 5-angled schizocarp that splits into 5 triangular mericarps each with 2 spines. Puncture Vine is listed as a noxious weed in many countries and states. It is spread by the spiny fruit sticking in tires and shoes and to the feet of livestock. Attempts to control it have largely been unsuccessful. – A. Diamond.
Taxonomic Notes:**
Status:Not Native
References:**

** Not applicable or data not available.

Classification

FamilyZYGOPHYLLACEAE - Creosote-Bush family
Genus Tribulus
Species Tribulus terrestris L. - Puncture Vine; Devil's Thorn; Puncture Weed

Citation

Citation Tribulus terrestris Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 1: 387. 1753.
Basionym: **
Type: Without data, Herb. Clifford 160(Tribulus 1) (lectotype: BM). Lectotypified by B. L. Burtt, Kew Bull. 9: 398. 1954.

** Not applicable or data not available.

Synonyms

SynonymFull CitationBasionymType
Tribulus acanthococcus Tribulus acanthococcus F. Mueller, Trans. Philos. Soc. Victoria 1: 9. 1855.  
Tribulus albus Tribulus albus Poiret, in Lamarck, Encycl. 8: 45. 1808. SENEGAL
Tribulus bicornutus Tribulus bicornutus Fischer & C. A. Meyer, Bull. Soc. Imp. Naturalistes Moscou 11: 391. 1838.  
Tribulus bimucronatus Tribulus bimucronatus Viviani, Pl. Aegypt. Dec. 9. 1830.  
Tribulus excrucians Tribulus excrucians Wawra & Peyritsch, Sitzungsber. Kaiserl. Akad. Wiss., Math.-Naturwiss. Cl. 38: 557. 1860.  
Tribulus gussonii Tribulus gussonii Todaro & Pirani ex Parlatore, Fl. Ital. 5: 334. 1873.  
Tribulus hispidus Tribulus hispidus E. Meyer ex C. Presl, Abh. Königl. Böhm. Ges. Wiss., ser. 5. 3: 459. 1845.  
Tribulus humifusus Tribulus humifusus Schumacher, Beskr. Guin. Pl. 215. 1827.  
Tribulus inermis Tribulus inermis Kralik, Ann. Sci. Nat., Bot., ser. 3. 11: 25. 1849.  
Tribulus kotschyanus Tribulus kotschyanus Boissier, Diagn. Pl. Orient., ser. 2. 3(1): 111. 1854.  
Tribulus lanuginosus Tribulus lanuginosus Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 387. 1753. SRI LANKA: Without data (lectotype: LINN 547.2). Lectotypified by El-Hadidi, in Polhill, Fl. Trop. E. Afr., Zygophyllac. 8. 1985.
Tribulus micans Tribulus micans Welwitsch, Apont. 566. 1859.  
Tribulus microcephalus Tribulus microcephalus Bertoloni f., Mem. Reale Accad. Sci. Ist. Bologna 3: 255. 1851.  
Tribulus mollis Tribulus mollis Ehrenberg ex Schweinfurth, Beitr. Fl. Aethiop. 29. 1867.  
Tribulus murex Tribulus murex C. Presl, Abh. Königl. Böhm. Ges. Wiss., ser. 5. 3: 459. 1845.  
Tribulus muricatus Tribulus muricatus Stokes, Bot. Mat. Med. 2: 496. 1812, nom. illegit.Tribulus terrestris Linnaeus 1753. 
Tribulus parvispinus Tribulus parvispinus C. Presl, Abh. Königl. Böhm. Ges. Wiss., ser. 5. 3: 459. 1845.  
Tribulus pentandrus Tribulus pentandrus Forsskål, Fl. Aegypt.-Arab. 88. 1775.  
Tribulus revoilii Tribulus revoilii Franchet, Sert. Somal. 22. 1882.  
Tribulus robustus Tribulus robustus Boissier & Noe, in Boissier, Diagn. Pl. Orient., ser. 2. 3(1): 112. 1854.  
Tribulus sinaicus Tribulus sinaicus Boissier, Diagn. Pl. Orient., ser. 1. 2(8): 120. 1849.  
Tribulus spurius Tribulus spurius Kralik, Ann. Sci. Nat., Bot., ser. 3. 11: 28. 1849.  
Tribulus uniflorus Tribulus uniflorus Nevski ex Bulavkina, Sorn. Rast. SSSR 3: 252. 1934.  
Tribulus zeyheri Tribulus zeyheri Sonder, in Harvey & Sonder, Fl. Cap. 1: 353. 1860. SOUTH AFRICA:

Specimens and Distribution

This species has been reported in the following counties by the herbaria listed. An overview of the individual specimens are provided in the table that follows. Click on the accession number to view details; click on column headers to sort; choose a county or herbaria to filter the specimen data.

Counties included on distribution map: Baldwin, Colbert, Dallas, Montgomery

Counties represented by specimen data listed below:

Herbaria represented by specimen data listed below: ALNHS, AUA, TROY, UWAL, UWFP

Range of years during which specimens were collected: -

Barcode / Accession No. County Coll. Date Collector &
Collection No.		 Herbarium &
Herbarium Name Used		 Image
AUA_ACC_14213 Montgomery 14 Aug 1969 Davis, Donald E.
 AUA
Tribulus Terrestris L.
UWAL0048185 Dallas 26 Jul 2011 Barger, T. Wayne
SP#328		 UWAL
Tribulus terrestris L.
TROY000026065 Baldwin 06 Aug 2007 Spaulding, Daniel D.
12727		 TROY
Tribulus terrestris Linnaeus
TROY000034621 Montgomery 22 Jan 2012 Diamond, Alvin R.
22792		 TROY
Tribulus terrestris Linnaeus
UWAL0010817 Montgomery 22 Jan 2012 Diamond, Alvin R.
22792		 UWAL
Tribulus terrestris Linnaeus
UWFP018575 Montgomery 05 Oct 2006 James R. Burkhalter
21159		 UWFP
Tribulus terrestris Linnaeus
UWAL0004533 Baldwin 06 Aug 2007 Spaulding, Daniel D.
12727		 UWAL
Tribulus terrestris L.
UWAL0049663 Colbert 07 Aug 1990 Webb, David H.
5762		 UWAL
Tribulus terrestris L.
ALNHS00000577 Dallas 26 Jul 2011 Barger, T. Wayne
SP#328		 ALNHS
Tribulus terrestris L.
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