Asteraceae
Arctium minus

Common Burdock

Erect, with stiff stems branching near top. Leaves green, widely egg-shaped, largest 16 in. or more; upper side soft-haired, hairless with age; underside gray with matted hairs. Flowers purple, protruding from a round burr of hooked bracts clustered along reddish stalks at axils with large leaves. Grows in disturbed places at low elevations. Similar A. lappa, great burdock, with purple or pink long-stalked heads 2–4 in. across, also grows in disturbed soils. Bats can become tangled in the burrs of common burdock and die.

  • Rarity: Locally Common
  • Flowering Time: Late Summer-Autumn
  • Life Cycle: Biennial
  • Height: 24--48 inches
  • Habitat: Disturbed, Meadow, West-Side Forest, Shrub-Steppe
  • Found In: Mt. Rainier Np, Steens, West Gorge, East Gorge, N Cascades Np, Olympic Np
  • Native: No

More Information: