Chota Dhatura / Burweed
Xanthium indicum
Also known as Cocklebur, Rough Cocklebur
- Habit
- Undershrub
- Found in India
- Assam
- Flowering
- Throughout the year
How to identify Chota Dhatura
Identify Chota Dhatura by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a undershrub habit.
- Check the distinctive field mark: Spiny bur-like fruit that clings to fur and clothing (cocklebur).
- Confirm leaf surface: Hirsute (coarsely hairy).
- Confirm flower colour: Green.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: Throughout the year.
- In India, compare location records such as Assam.
- Confirm it sits within the Asteraceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Chota Dhatura.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Xanthium indicum
- Genus
- Xanthium
- Family
- Asteraceae
- Habit
- Undershrub
- Habitat
- Deciduous forests
- Habitat type
- Forest
- Distribution
- India, Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Java
- Found in India
- Assam
- Flowering & fruiting
- Throughout the year
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf surface
- Hirsute (coarsely hairy)recorded
Typical of the family
- Arrangement
- Alternate
Characters marked “recorded” are for Chota Dhatura itself; the rest are typical of the Asteraceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- GreenrecordedGreen or greenish
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Head
- Fruit
- Achene
Characters marked “recorded” are for Chota Dhatura itself; the rest are typical of the Asteraceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Hindi
- छोटा धतूरा chota dhatura, छोटा गोखुरू chota gokhuru, घाघरा ghaghra, संखाहुली sankhahuli
- Marathi
- घागरा ghagara, शंकेश्र्वर shankeshrvar
- Tamil
- மருளூமத்தை marul-umattai
- Telugu
- మరులుతీగె marulutige
- Kannada
- ಮರುಳೂಮ್ಮತ್ತಿ maruluummatti
- Gujarati
- godrian
- Sanskrit
- अरिष्ट arishta, मेध्य medhya, सर्पक्षी sarpakshi
- Nepali
- भेडे कुर्रो Bhede Kurro, खन्घरा Ghangharaa, कास्तोलो Kaastolo, कुच कुचे Kuch Kuche, करोनी Karonee, दग्ने कुरो Dagne Kuro, जुम्ली कुरो Jumlee Kuro
About Chota Dhatura
Burweed (Xanthium indicum) is a low shrub in the Asteraceae family. In India it has been recorded in Assam. It grows in deciduous forests. It flowers and fruits through much of the year.
Asteraceae
Daisy/Sunflower family
Chota Dhatura belongs to the Asteraceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Asteraceae familySnap it. Know it.
Point your camera at Chota Dhatura or any plant and SASYA identifies it instantly — on-device, offline, and private.
Common plant problems
If you are starting from symptoms instead of a diagnosis, use the plant disease symptom checker to narrow the cause before treating.
All plant problem & care guides