Lesser Burdock, Common Burdock,Arctium minus,Sunflower Family (Asteraceae)

Photo credit: John George

Found in ditches, fields, roadsides, waste places
Seen blooming in July by the Tierra Azul acequia

​Lesser Burdock grows from 20 to 60 inches tall, flowering every two years. This plant is over 5 feet tall. In the first year only a rosette of large basal leaves is grown. Leaves are heart-shaped and can be 18 inches wide and 24 inches long with wavy edges. They have long hollow stalks and resemble rhubarb leaves. In the second year it grows a stout, ridged flower stalk with smaller leaves. Leaves on the stem are oval-shaped, dull green above, greyish green underneath. The pinkish-purplish flowers grow in clusters at the end of side branches. Flower heads are thistle-like and up to 1 inch across with narrow, hooked bracts which develop into brown prickly burs when they go to seed. Burdock has very good medicinal and edible properties. The edible parts include the leaves, root, seed and stem. In Japan it is cultivated for the food market. Burdock is one of the foremost detoxifying herbs in both Chinese and Western herbal medicine. It is considered an effective liver tonic, useful in treating water retention, rheumatoid conditions, skin disorders, and high blood pressure. Its fiber has also been used for paper. Leaves may be used for a head covering. Source.
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