caltrop

caltrop definitions

• A small, metal object with spikes arranged so that, when thrown onto the ground, one always faces up as a threat to pedestrians, horses, and vehicles. 

• The starthistle, Centaurea calcitrapa, a plant with sharp thorns. 

• The same object represented as a heraldic charge. 

• Any of a number of flowering plants in the family Zygophyllaceae, including several members of the genus Kallstroemia and the species Tribulus terrestris, native to warm temperate and tropical regions.