Bathurst burr is mainly a pasture weed but it is also a weed of summer growing crops such as cotton, sugarcane, grapes, soya beans and maize. The weed spreads entirely by seeds. Burrs are usually carried by people or animals, attached to clothes, fur or other fibres by their hooked spines. Burrs may also be dispersed by water or as a contaminant in seed or hay, and have occasionally been found as a contaminant of imported birdseed. Young plants are quite palatable to stock, but older plants are not eaten.
Some people develop dermatitis from handling the plants.
The main problem in Australia is burr contamination of wool. The burrs are difficult to remove during processing, so buyers pay lower prices for contaminated fleeces. Burrs also make stock unpleasant to handle. Image Bathurst burr has conspicuous spines and burrs What to look for Bathurst burr is an erect, much-branched, bushy plant. It usually grows to about 45 cm high but may reach 1.2 metres.