Northern America
: Mexico
Eastern Canada: Canada - Ontario, - Quebec
North-Central U.S.A.: United States - Illinois, - Iowa, - Kansas, - Minnesota, - Missouri, - Nebraska, - North Dakota, - Oklahoma, - South Dakota, - Wisconsin
Northeastern U.S.A.: United States - Connecticut, - Indiana, - Maine, - Massachusetts, - Michigan, - New Hampshire, - New Jersey, - New York, - Ohio, - Pennsylvania, - Rhode Island, - Vermont, - West Virginia
Northwestern U.S.A.: United States - Colorado, - Idaho, - Montana, - Oregon, - Washington, - Wyoming
South-Central U.S.A.: United States - New Mexico, - Texas
Southeastern U.S.A.: United States - Arkansas, - Delaware, - Florida, - Georgia, - Kentucky, - Louisiana, - Maryland, - Mississippi, - North Carolina, - South Carolina, - Tennessee, - Virginia
Southwestern U.S.A.: United States - Arizona, - California, - Nevada, - Utah
Western Canada: Canada - British Columbia
Southern America
Northern South America: Venezuela
Southern South America: Argentina - Corrientes, - Entre Rios, - La Rioja, - Salta
Longspine sandbur, a loosely clumped grass, is usually a summer annual in California, but in other regions can be a biennial or perennial. In California, it is found in the southern Sacramento Valley, San Joaquin Valley, southwestern regions, Mojave Desert and Modoc Plateau to about 3000 feet (900 m). Longspine sandbur favors sandy or well-drained soil. Longspine sandbur grows on agricultural land and in other disturbed areas. It is difficult to distinguish from southern sandbur and field sandbur. All of these species are aggressive and can invade and colonize an open, disturbed site. Immature sandburs provide good forage for livestock. However, when they mature they develop fruit with stiff spines that can injure the mouths of animals and the hands and feet of people. Found in open disturbed sites in fields, orchards, vineyards, croplands (especially alfalfa), ditch banks, roadsides, and other unmanaged, disturbed areas. Plants often form large mats and can grow to 2 feet (0.6 m) in length. Branched stems grow erect or spread, are flattened in cross-section, often bend abruptly toward the base, and have loose spikes of spiny burs at maturity. Each bur contains one to three seeds. A seed germinates from within a bur. Therefore, the bur a seedling grew from can be found around the root system of the young plant. Sheaths are open, usually hairless, and their margins are membranous and sometimes lined with a few hairs. Leaves are flat, sometimes folded, with a hairless upper surface, and fold in the bud.