Foxtail Plant Awn

Foxtail awns are barbed razor sharp needles designed to burrow into the ground with the seed.

Foxtail plant awn.

These grasses can be found throughout north america and are especially prevalent in the western united states. Foxtail is a generic term that s often applied to several species of wild grasses but is specifically associated with a type of wild barley hordeum jubatum that is indigenous to the western united states. A plant awn that enters the nasal cavity is definitely concerning because it can potentially migrate through the nasal turbinates scroll like structures within the nasal passages and butt up against cribriform plate which is a bony structure that separates the brain from the nasal passages says dr. A foxtail is a spikelet or cluster of a grass that serves to disperse its seeds as a unit.

Flourishing in the summer months these annoying weeds are designed to burrow which can lead to pain infection and sometimes more serious issues. The applied nomer foxtail describes the bushy cluster of seed awns characteristic of these plants. Because these tough seeds don t break down inside. They can attach to your dog s coat and burrow into your dog s ears nose and paw pads.

Common examples of these weeds include foxtail and cheatgrass. The danger of foxtails goes beyond simple irritation. It is mostly found in the western half of the u s. They can become a health hazard for dogs and other domestic animals and a nuisance for people.

I m not aware of the ability for a foxtail to penetrate the cribriform plate and enter the brain but i guess one can never say never. Some grasses that produce a foxtail are themselves called foxtail also spear grass. They can even simply dig themselves directly into a patch of skin. It s a wide leaf blades type of weed similar to the turfgrass.

Foxtail barley one known hazard occurs most commonly in the western states but is now found throughout the united states. The foxtail plant is a grass like weed. Grass awns are the seed pods of certain tall grasses that grow as invasive weeds. The stems grow long spikes of flowers that result in seeds at the end of the season.

Nimblewill is another plant with potentially dangerous awns. Foxtail s usually an annual plant but can be perennial too. These weedy grasses form seed pods that dry out and scatter in the summer. A foxtail awn is the sharp barbed seed head of a grassy plant or type of wild barley.

Like foxtail nimblewill is regarded as a weed and is not purposefully cultivated. It grows in any condition moist or dry soil and its very tolerant. The sharp needles on the seed heads of the foxtail plant can also work their way into any part of your dog from the nose to between the toes and inside the ears eyes and mouth.