Latin name
:
Arctium lappa.
To discover
Fence and neighborhood: what does the law say?
Family
: Asteraceae (formerly called the Compositae family) such as daisies, cosmos and artichokes.
What are the origins of the greater burdock?
Origin:
Europe, Asia.
Main types
: Besides the greater burdock, the genus
Arctium
includes other species such as
A. tomentosum
(hairy burdock),
A. nemorosum
(wood burdock) and
A. minus
(small burdock) very common in France.
How to use big burdock?
In addition to its medicinal properties, burdock is an edible plant.
In particular its root, with a slightly sweet flavor, which is eaten raw or cooked.
How to recognize the greater burdock?
The greater burdock, or moth grass, is a wild, biennial plant, typical of wasteland, which particularly appreciates soils rich in nitrogen.
What are the characteristics of the great burdock?
The first year, it develops, at the base of the foot, a rosette of large heart-shaped leaves, long-stalked, persistent or semi-persistent depending on the climate.
Flowering does not occur until the following year: small purplish pink flowers resembling those of thistles bloom at the end of a powerful floral stalk which can reach a height of 2 m.
After fertilization, they give rise to thorny fruits with tiny hooks, capable of clinging to animal fur or clothing worn by humans, thus facilitating the dissemination of the seeds.
The famous Velcro strip, invented in the early 1950s, is directly inspired by the fruit of the burdock.
How to grow greater burdock?
Difficulty level:
Very easy.
Soil:
Rather rich, neutral to basic.
Exposure:
Sunny.
Flowering period
: July, August.
Hardiness:
Very resistant to cold
Sowing / planting:
Like many biennials, multiplication is carried out mainly by sowing in place in July: the heat of summer thus allows rapid growth of young plants with a few waterings if the weather is dry.
Cultivation management:
The greater burdock requires little or no maintenance.
The roots can be harvested in the fall and winter in the first year, before they become too fibrous.
Diseases and parasites:
Aphids.
Sheet written by Jean-Marie Souil, SNHF, Perennial plants section
