Biochemical Features of Common Cocklebur (Xanthium strumarium L.)

Biochemical features of wild common cocklebur (Xanthium strumarium L.) were studied in order to assess its possible cultivation. Analyses showed high contents of fatty oil in seeds (up to 40%) and fruit (up to 12%) that consisted of unsaturated (palmitic, stearic) and more valuable polyunsaturated (linoleic, linolenic) acids. Oils extracted from seeds and whole fruit had practically identical chemical compositions. The results indicated that free iodide ion was absent in the plant and that the contents of organically bound iodine in oils from the fruit (385 mg/L) and fruit pulp after pressing (215 mg/kg) were elevated.