An annual herb with diffused or prostrate
stems. The branches are flexuous covered with silky thread like hairs. The
leaves are pari-pinnate having 6 to 7 pairs of leaflets that are
narrow-elliptic with round base and apex. The veins on the upper surface are
covered with hairs and those on the lower surface are covered with silky
thread like hairs. The yellow flowers are borne solitary and axillary. Each
flower has five petals and five sepals. The stamens are ten and arranged in
two whorls of five each. The five stamens which grow opposite to the petals
are slightly longer than the remaining stamens. The ovary is five-chambered
and possesses five prominent angles. The fruit is weapon-wheel shaped
containing five parts. Each part has two long sharp rigid spines, several
shorter spines and surface covered with many hairs.
This herb normally grows near crop fields,
in wastelands and sandy grounds. The fruit is collected in the months of
September and October and dried.
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Tribulus
Terrestris
