Arctium minus seed
LATIN NAME: ARCTIUM MINUS
COMMON NAME: Lesser Burdock, Common Burdock
The lesser burdock is a familiar giant of the wayside, its enormous, heart-shaped, softly grey-green leaves forming a basal rosette in the first year before sending up a tall, branching stem crowned with many small, purple, thistle-like heads in the second. After the flowers come the round, hooked burrs that cling to passing fur and clothing, a dispersal trick so effective that it inspired the invention of Velcro. The roots are long, fleshy and edible, with a crisp, earthy sweetness, and the young stems can be peeled and eaten like asparagus. Native to Europe and western Asia, it has spread widely in temperate regions, where it is a common plant of disturbed ground, field edges and waste places. It is a biennial that asks for very little, thriving in ordinary soil and full sun, and its bold presence gives a wild, untamed character to the corner of a garden.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The lesser burdock has a substantial record in food science, natural-product chemistry and ecology. Its fleshy roots have been studied for their dietary fibre, inulin content and antioxidant compounds, and the plant has a long history in both Eastern and Western herbal traditions, though modern use should be guided by qualified practitioners. Ecologists examine its role as a pioneer species on disturbed ground, its interactions with pollinating insects, and the remarkable hooked burr mechanism that makes its seeds such effective travellers. The genus has also been investigated for its antibacterial and antifungal properties, and researchers study the fibres from its stems for paper-making. For a plant so common along every lane, the lesser burdock carries a surprisingly rich and practical body of research.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
Ecologically, the lesser burdock is generous to wildlife. Its purple heads feed bees, butterflies and other pollinators through the summer, and its seeds, sheltered inside the burrs, feed goldfinches and other seed-eating birds. The large leaves give ground cover and shelter for small invertebrates. Economically, the roots are grown as a vegetable in some regions, prized for their crisp texture and mild flavour, and the plant is also used in herbal products under professional guidance. The fibres from the stems have been used to make paper. For a grower, it is an easy and productive plant for the wild garden or the vegetable patch, and for a forager it offers edible roots and young stems in season. The burrs are the seed, and they germinate readily when sown in ordinary soil.
To grow the Lesser Burdock from seed, to raise the lesser burdock, sow the burr-encased seeds just below the surface of ordinary, moist soil in a sunny spot and keep them lightly watered until the large first leaves appear.
sow the burr-encased seeds just below the surface of ordinary, moist soil in a sunny spot, and keep the young burdocks in a sunny spot until the large first leaves appear.
LATIN NAME: Arctium minus
COMMON NAME: Lesser Burdock
The lesser burdock is a handsome, tall, branching, biennial plant of the waysides and the fields, and its very large, broad, softly hairy leaves and its many small, purple or pinkish, thistle-like flower heads, followed by the round, hooked burrs, have made it a familiar and long-known plant of the wild. It grows as a tall, branching, biennial plant, reaching up to one and a half metres or more, with the upright, branching stems bearing the very large, broad, softly hairy, heart-shaped or oval leaves and, through the summer, the many small, purple or pinkish, thistle-like flower heads, followed by the round, hooked, brownish burrs that cling to the passing fur. It is a species of the flowering plant in the daisy family, and it is native to the Europe and the western Asia, while it grows in the waysides and the fields, and it is known as the lesser burdock.
The lesser burdock belongs to the daisy family, Asteraceae, and it is a species of the tall, branching, biennial plant, native to the Europe and the western Asia, while it grows in the waysides and the fields, and it is known as the lesser burdock. It is prized for its very large, broad, softly hairy leaves and its round, hooked burrs.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The lesser burdock has a real and distinguished place in the research. It has been studied in the food science and the chemistry of the natural products, since the long, fleshy roots of the lesser burdock have a long history of use as a fine root vegetable of the kitchen, and researchers have examined the roots and their constituents, while the value of the burdock root in the fine cooking of the many lands has drawn attention in the international food and agricultural press, and the study of the root and its fibres has been of continuing interest across the world. The plant has also been studied in the chemistry of the natural products and the traditional use, since the roots and the aerial parts of the burdock have a history of use in the traditional ways of the region, and researchers have examined the plant and its constituents, while the traditional uses of the burdock have been of continuing interest, and the plant is best appreciated as a subject of study and a fine root vegetable rather than a casual remedy. The species has also been studied in the botany and the ecology, since it is a native of the Europe and the western Asia, and its relationships, its distribution and its role in the wayside have been examined, while the ecology of the wayside plants has been of continuing interest, and its round, hooked burrs have been of interest to the botanists. For a plant of such fine value, the lesser burdock has a rich and continuing record of study.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
Ecologically, the lesser burdock is a generous plant of the garden. Its many small, purple or pinkish, thistle-like flower heads feed the bees and the many insects, and its round, hooked burrs are carried far on the coats of the passing animals, spreading the seeds of the plant across the land.
Its economic value is real. The lesser burdock is prized for its long, fleshy roots, and its value has drawn attention in the international food and agricultural press, while its fine, long roots have been used as a fine root vegetable of the kitchen and the young stalks as a fine green of the region. For a grower, the lesser burdock is an easy and rewarding plant, and for a gardener it brings a broad-leaved, purple-thistled, long-rooted plant to the wild garden. The seeds are easy to start — sow them just below the surface of a pot of moist, free-draining soil, keep them lightly watered, and theyll be sprouting readily, growing on into a broad-leaved, purple-thistled, long-rooted plant.
Edible parts of Lesser Burdock: Root – raw or cooked. The best roots are obtained from young plants. Usually peeled and sliced. The roasted root is a coffee substitute. Young leaves and leaf stems – raw or cooked. Used as a potherb. Mucilaginous. It is best to remove the rind from the stem. Young flowering stem – peeled and eaten raw or cooked like asparagus. Seed sprouts. No further details. Medicinal use of Lesser Burdock: Burdock is one of the foremost detoxifying herbs in both Chinese and Western herbal medicine. Arctium lappa is the main species used, though this species has similar properties. The dried root of one year old plants is the official herb, but the leaves and fruits can also be used. It is used to treat conditions caused by an “overload” of toxins, such as throat and other infections, boils, rashes and other skin problems. The root is thought to be particularly good at helping to eliminate heavy metals from the body. The plant is antibacterial, antifungal and carminative. It has soothing, mucilaginous properties and is said to be one of the most certain cures for many types of skin diseases, burns, bruises etc. It is used in the treatment of herpes, eczema, acne, impetigo, ringworm, boils, bites etc. The plant can be taken internally as an infusion, or used externally as a wash. Use with caution. One-year old roots are alterative, aperient, blood purifier, cholagogue, depurative, diaphoretic, diuretic and stomachic. The seed is alterative, antibacterial, antifungal, antiphlogistic, depurative, diaphoretic, diuretic and hypoglycaemic. It is used in the treatment of colds with sore throat and cough, measles, pharyngitis, acute tonsillitis and abscesses. The crushed seed is poulticed onto bruises. The seed is harvested in the summer and dried for later use. The seed contains arctiin, this excites the central nervous system producing convulsions an increase in respiration and later paralysis. It also lowers the blood pressure by dilating the blood vessels. The leaves are poulticed onto burns, ulcers and sores. Other uses of the herb: A fibre is obtained from the inner bark and is used to make paper. It is about 0.9mm long. The stems are harvested in late summer, the leaves are removed and the stems steamed in order to strip off the fibre. The fibres are then cooked for two hours in soda ash before being put in a ball mill for 2 hours. The resulting paper is a light tan/ brown color.