Noxious summer annual, with prostrate stems up to 2.4 m long. Plants produce many stout-spined burrs that can injure people and animals and puncture bicycle tires.
Foliage is toxic to livestock, especially sheep, when consumed in quantity.
Fruits are used medicinally in India. Introduced from the Mediterranean region. Cotyledons oblong , 4-15 mm long, thick, creased down the center, slightly indented at the tips. First and subsequent leaves resemble those of mature plants. Photosynthesis is by the C4 pathway.