About Lappula squarrosa (Retz.) Dumort.
Lappula squarrosa (Retz.) Dumort. is a species of flowering plant in the borage family. It goes by multiple common names: European stickseed, bur forget-me-not, bluebur, and bristly sheepbur. It is native to Europe and Asia, where it is common, and has been introduced to much of North America and Africa. It is classified as a well-known noxious weed both in areas where it has become naturalized, and across many parts of its native range. This is an annual herb that grows an erect stem, often bearing sprays of many long, bending branches, and its overall form varies across different regions and climates. Mature plants can reach nearly one meter in height. Linear to oval leaves, up to 5 centimeters long, line the stems; all leaves and above-ground plant parts are covered in whitish hairs, and the herbage gives off a scent that is generally considered unpleasant. The inflorescence is a long, leafy raceme of tiny flowers that grows near the ends of branches. Each flower measures 2 to 4 millimeters wide, with five light blue corolla lobes, though plants with white flowers are occasionally found. The fruit is a cluster of four nutlets, which are covered in hooked prickles. Seeds are dispersed when these prickles catch on the coats of animals and human clothing, as well as by movement via wind. This plant grows readily across a wide variety of habitat types, including agricultural fields, roadsides, gravel beds, and rocky waste areas, and it thrives specifically in overgrazed pastures.
