Ceratocarpus

a genus of monoecious annual plants of the family Rubiaceae. The forked-branching, pubescent herbs measure 5–30 cm tall and usually form small, globose shrubs. The leaves are linear or linear-lanceolate, with strong, thorny tips. The flowers are unisexual, axillary, and generally solitary. The fruit is enclosed in connate bracts with two hornlike processes. There are two species, C. arenarius and C. utriculosus, which are found in the temperate belt of Eurasia. In the USSR the plants grow mostly in sandy southern regions. They sometimes grow as weeds along roads, near dwellings, in fallow land, and among crops. Frequently the plants form thick covers on trampled pastures. In semidesert and desert regions the plants are good forage for cattle, goats, sheep, and horses.