By: Jack Anger Introduction Do some of you get allergies during the spring? You may be getting your allergies from the pollen created by a Sonoran Desert plant named the Triangle Leaf Bursage. It gets its name from its triangle shaped leaves and its burr shaped seeds. This bush shaped plant serves as a nurse plant to many other species in the Sonoran Desert. It provides shade and nourishment for other plants to protect them from herbivores. What a cool plant!  WHO AM I?
I am a member of the sunflower family. I am also a cousin of the common ragweed. I can live in areas with very small levels of precipitation. I am one of the most abundant plants in the Sonoran Desert.
WHERE DO I LIVE? I live in Arizona and also south into Sonora and Baja California, Mexico. I can grow in open, flat spaces but also on hillsides. I prefer to grow in areas with coarse soil. I do not need much water to live so I can grow in very dry places.
WHAT DO I EAT?
I can suck up nutrients from the soil. I also create my own food through Photosynthesis just like many other plants. I do not need much water to survive only taking in rains in both the summer and winter seasons.  HOW DO I LOOK?
I am a small, round shrub about 1 ½ feet tall and 2 feet wide. I have slender and brittle branches. I have triangle shaped leaves that are about 1 inch long and a ½ inch wide. I also have yellow- green flowers that have no petals. My male flowers grow near the top of me while my female flowers like to grow towards my base. HOW DO I REPRODUCE? I get my name from my burr like seeds. I produce these seeds during the winter and summer months. My round seeds have small hooks on them that allows them to attach to passing animals and to be carried off to new areas. Also the when the wind blows strong, it sweeps up my seeds and carries them as far as it can. 
FUN FACT ABOUT ME? I serve as a “nurse” plant to many other plants and species. I establish myself in an empty, dry, and hot area and provide shade and nourishment for other plants to grow near me. I also protect other plants from herbivores. I am one of the major causes for hay fever during the spring. WHERE DID YOU FIND INFORMATION ABOUT ME? Triangle Leaf Bursage Where does the Triangle Leaf Bursage live? What does it look like? How does it survive in the wild? This source provides all of the answers to these questions and more. If you want to learn more about the Triangle Leaf Bursage this is a great site. Desert Tropicals
This source provides information about how the Triangle Leaf Bursage looks and how it reproduces. It goes into great depths about the different parts of the Triangle Leaf Bursage, including the burs and flowers.
Activity Kindergarten and first grade- Draw a picture of the Triangle Leaf Bursage and tell a story about the plant to your classmates.
Second Grade- Draw a picture of the Triangle Leaf Bursage and write a paragraph telling a story about the plant. Then, get together with a classmate and share your stories.
Third grade- Draw 8 squares on a piece of paper and make a storyboard to create an original story about the Triangle leaf bursage. In each square you will draw a picture pertaining to the Triangle Leaf Bursage and under each square you will write a sentence or two describing what is going on in the picture. Then use that storyboard to write a one page story about the Triangle Leaf Bursage. |