California Invasive Plant Council

Tribulus terrestris

Synonyms: Tribulus bimucronatus; Tribulus lanuginosus; Tribulus saharae; Tribulus terrestris var. sericeus

Common names: puncture vine; puncturevine, goat's head

Tribulus terrestris (puncture vine) is an annual herb (family Zygophyllaceae) with yellow-white flowers and narrow hairy leaves found all over California. It is native to the Mediterranean. It favors grasslands and dunes. It propagates by seed. Seeds are dispersed via water, wool, vehicles and agricultural activities.

Cal-IPC Rating: Limited

CDFA Rating: C

Cal-IPC Assessment

Plant Assessment Form - Information gathered by Cal-IPC on the impacts, rate of spread, and distribution of invasive plants in California. Does not include management information.

Species ID Card

Invasive Species ID Card - To support field identification of early detection species, Cal-IPC has designed a set of Species ID cards that can be downloaded, printed double-sided, and trimmed to size.

Weed Management Notes

• Management Notes - Information on management techniques and effectiveness from the University of California Cooperative Extension’s Weed Research & Information Center.

Cal-IPC Newsletter Articles

• Is it just me, or is puncturevine everywhere this year? . Gibson, Jennifer. Vol 23, Issue 3
• Weed biological control agents approved for California. Pitcairn, Michael J.; Smith, Lincoln; Moran, Patrick. Vol 22, Issue 1
• Feed the birds, but don’t spread weeds. America, Weed Science Society of. Vol 17, Issue 2

Cal-IPC Symposium Presentations

Presentations are linked where available. Where a presentation is not available, find more information by reading the abstract in the Cal-IPC Symposia Archive.

There are no Symposium presentations associated with this species yet.

Other Tribulus terrestris Information

• CalPhotos - Images of plants taken mostly in California.
• Calflora - See the distribution of this species on Calflora's map of California.
• Jepson Online Interchange for California Flora - Information on taxonomy, biology, and distribution from UC Berkeley's Jepson Herbarium.
• CDFA - California official noxious weeds.
• USDA PLANTS Database - Federal database with information on identification and distribution, and links to websites in individual states.
• EDD MapS - North American distribution based on Early Detection and Distribution Mapping System.