H. Beentje (2005) Xanthium. Flora of Somalia 3:55-552.
Plants coarse herbs, often spiny; monoecious. Leaves alternate. Inflorescences of axilllary unisexual capitula, these solitary or few-together, sessile, subsessile, or shortly pedunculate; male capitula of several flowers; female capitula with 2 flowers surrounded by spiny, woody involucres; female involucres formed by the fusion of the extended receptacle and phyllaries and terminating in 2 long-beaked spines. Male flowers cylindric, 5-lobed; anthers black. Female flowers without a corolla; styles 2-fid. Achenes black; pappuses absent.
Xanthium is a genus of 2 or more species that are native to Central and/or South America. They are now weeds on all continents. One species, Xanthium strumarium, has been found in Somaliland. It is probably also present in Somalia.
GBIF records include introduced and cultivated plants. Consequently, the distribution shown often differs from statements about a taxon's native distribution.