Botany picture #142: Soliva sessilis

Soliva sessilis (Asteraceae), Victoria, 2012. Australia has got its own burr-daisies in the genus Calotis. Their fruit are covered in spines, often barbed, that will stick to your clothes and are particularly nasty when stuck between the inner side of your shoe and your skin. But that wasn't enough of course. There is also Soliva sessilis, an invasive weed introduced from South America. It likes to grow in lawns where it is likely to be overlooked because of its small size and entirely green colouration - until you step on it with your bare feet. In the picture above a fruit is sticking in my fingertip.