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Greater burdock

Arctium lappa

Photo by Jae
Published on Project Noah
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52.2491, 6.12146

Field Notes

Description:

Greater burdock is rather tall, reaching as much as 2.7 m. It has large, alternating, cordiform leaves that have a long petiole and are pubescent on the underside. The flowers are purple and grouped in globular capitula, united in clusters. They appear in mid-summer, from July to September. The capitula are surrounded by an involucre made out of many bracts, each curving to form a hook, allowing them to be carried long distances on the fur of animals. The fruits are achenes; they are long, compressed, with short pappuses. The fleshy tap-root can grow up to 0.91 m deep.

Habitat:

This species is native to the temperate regions of the old world, from Scandinavia to the Mediterranean, and from the British Isles through Russia, and the Middle East to China and Japan, including India. It is naturalized almost everywhere and is usually found in disturbed areas, especially in soil rich in nitrogen.

Notes:

Spotted in rural area of Deventer, Holland.

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