View source for Arctium

{{Short description|Genus of flowering plants}}
{{Redirect|Burdock||Burdock (disambiguation)}}
{{Italic title}}{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2016}}
{{Automatic taxobox
|name = Burdock
|image = Villtakjas 2008.jpg
|image_caption = ''[[Arctium tomentosum]]''
|display_parents = 3
|taxon = Arctium
|authority = [[Carl Linnaeus|L.]] 1753 not Lam. 1779
|synonyms_ref = <ref name=POWO_329745-2/><ref name=s>{{Cite web|url=http://dixon.iplantcollaborative.org/CompositaeWeb/default.aspx|archive-url=https://archive.today/20141106233244/http://dixon.iplantcollaborative.org/CompositaeWeb/default.aspx?Page=NameDetails&TabNum=0&NameId=2aef9113-39f0-4c5e-ba2b-966e29844c20|archive-date=2014-11-06|title=Global Compositae Checklist}}</ref>
|synonyms =
* ''Anura'' <small>(Juz.) Tschern.</small>
* ''Arcium'' <small>Rupr.</small>
* ''Arcion'' <small>Bubani</small>
* ''Bardana'' <small>Hill</small>
* ''Hypacanthium'' <small>Juz.</small>
* ''Lappa'' <small>Scop.</small>, nom. superfl.
* ''Schmalhausenia'' <small>C.Winkl.</small>
}}

'''''Arctium''''' is a [[genus]] of [[biennial plant]]s commonly known as '''burdock''', family [[Asteraceae]].<ref>[https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/358837#page/258/mode/1up Linnaeus, Carl von. 1753. Species Plantarum 2: 816]</ref> Native to Europe and Asia, several species have been widely introduced worldwide.<ref name="fna">{{cite web | url = http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=102484 | title = Arctium | work = Flora of North America | access-date =January 4, 2008}}</ref> Burdock's clinging properties, in addition to providing an excellent mechanism for [[seed dispersal]], led to the invention of the [[hook and loop fastener]].

==Description==

Plants of the genus ''Arctium'' have dark green leaves that can grow up to {{convert|70|cm|abbr=off}} long. They are generally large, coarse, and ovate, with the lower ones being heart-shaped. They are woolly underneath. The leafstalks are generally hollow. ''Arctium'' species generally flower from July through October. Burdock flowers provide essential pollen and nectar for honeybees around August, when clover is on the wane and before the goldenrod starts to bloom.<ref name=abc>{{cite web |url=http://caledoniaspirits.com/dont-cut-your-burdock-down/ |title=Don't Cut Your Burdock Down! |publisher=Calidonia Spirits |location=Vermont |date=August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151003010339/http://caledoniaspirits.com/dont-cut-your-burdock-down/ |archive-date=3 October 2015 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

Burdock's clinging properties make it an excellent mechanism for [[seed dispersal]].<ref name="fna" />

{{gallery|mode=packed
|Burdock Hooks.jpg|Hooked [[bur]]rs
|Bur Macro.jpg|Macro photograph of a bur, showing the sharp hook structures
|Burdock Closeup.jpg|Closeup of burdock
|Burdock Bush.jpg|Burdock bush
|ArctiumLappa1.jpg|''[[Arctium lappa]]'' (greater burdock)
|BurdockLeafInHand.gif|A {{convert|180|cm|ftin|abbr=on}} tall man holding a leaf
}}

==Taxonomy==
A large number of species have been placed in genus ''Arctium'' at one time or another, but most of them are now classified in the related genus ''[[Cousinia]]''. The precise limits between ''Arctium'' and ''Cousinia'' are hard to define; there is an exact relation between their molecular [[phylogeny]]. The burdocks are sometimes confused with the cockleburs (genus ''[[Xanthium]]'') and [[rhubarb]] (genus ''Rheum'').

=== Accepted species ===
The following species are accepted:<ref name=POWO_329745-2>{{cite web |date=2021 |title=''Arctium'' L. |url=https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:329745-2 |website=Plants of the World Online |publisher= [[Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew]] |access-date=2 September 2021}}</ref>

{{div col}} 
*''[[Arctium abolinii]]'' {{small|(Kult. ex Tscherneva) S.López, Romasch., Susanna & N.Garcia}}
*''[[Arctium alberti]]'' {{small|(Regel & Schmalh.) S.López, Romasch., Susanna & N.Garcia}}
*[[Arctium × ambiguum|''Arctium'' × ''ambiguum'']] {{small|(Celak.) Nyman}}
*''[[Arctium amplissimum]]'' {{small|Kuntze}}
*''[[Arctium anomalum]]'' {{small|Kuntze}}
*''[[Arctium arctiodes]]'' {{small|Kuntze}}
*''[[Arctium atlanticum]]'' {{small|(Pomel) H.Lindb.}} – Algeria, Morocco
*''[[Arctium aureum]]'' {{small|Kuntze}}
*''[[Arctium chloranthum]]'' {{small|(Kult.) S.López, Romasch., Susanna & N.Garcia}}
*''[[Arctium dolichophyllum]]'' {{small|(Kult.) S.López, Romasch., Susanna & N.Garcia}}
*[[Arctium × dualis|''Arctium'' × ''dualis'']] {{small|(Juz.) Duist.}}
*''[[Arctium echinopifolium]]'' {{small|(Bornm.) S.López, Romasch., Susanna & N.Garcia}}
*''[[Arctium egregium]]'' {{small|(Juz.) S.López, Romasch., Susanna & N.Garcia}}
*''[[Arctium elatum]]'' {{small|(Boiss. & Buhse) Kuntze}}
*''[[Arctium evidens]]'' {{small|(Tscherneva) S.López, Romasch., Susanna & N.Garcia}}
*''[[Arctium fedtschenkoanum]]'' {{small|(Bornm.) S.López, Romasch., Susanna & N.Garcia}}
*''[[Arctium grandifolium]]'' {{small|(Kult.) S.López, Romasch., Susanna & N.Garcia}}
*''[[Arctium haesitabundum]]'' {{small|(Juz.) S.López, Romasch., Susanna & N.Garcia}}
*''[[Arctium horrescens]]'' {{small|(Juz.) S.López, Romasch., Susanna & N.Garcia}}
*''[[Arctium karatavicum]]'' {{small|Kuntze}}
*''[[Arctium korolkowii]]'' {{small|Kuntze}}
*''[[Arctium korshinskyi]]'' {{small|(C.Winkl.) S.López, Romasch., Susanna & N.Garcia}}
*''[[Arctium lappa]]'' {{small|L.}} – greater burdock – much of Eurasia; naturalized in North America, Australia and New Zealand
*''[[Arctium lappaceum]]'' {{small|(Schrenk) Kuntze}}
*[[Arctium × leiobardanum|''Arctium'' × ''leiobardanum'']] {{small|Juz. & C.Serg. ex Stepanov}} – Siberia
*''[[Arctium leiospermum]]'' {{small|Juz. & Ye.V.Serg.}}
*[[Arctium × maassii|''Arctium'' × ''maassii'']] {{small|Rouy}}
*''[[Arctium macilentum]]'' {{small|(C.Winkl.) S.López, Romasch., Susanna & N.Garcia}}
*''[[Arctium medians]]'' {{small|(Juz.) S.López, Romasch., Susanna & N.Garcia}}
*''[[Arctium minus]]'' {{small|(Hill) Bernh.}} – lesser burdock – Europe and southwestern Asia; naturalized in North and South America, Australia and New Zealand
*[[Arctium × mixtum|''Arctium'' × ''mixtum'']] {{small|(Simonk.) Nyman}}
*''[[Arctium nemorosum]]'' {{small|Lej.}}
*''[[Arctium nidulans]]'' {{small|(Regel) Sennikov}}
*[[Arctium × nothum|''Arctium'' × ''nothum'']] {{small|(Ruhmer) J.Weiss}} – central and eastern Europe
*''[[Arctium palladinii]]'' {{small|(Marcow.) R.E.Fr. & Soderb.}} – Turkey, Iran, Caucasus
*''[[Arctium pallidivirens]]'' {{small|(Kult.) S.López, Romasch., Susanna & N.Garcia}}
*''[[Arctium pentacanthoides]]'' {{small|(Juz. ex Tscherneva) S.López, Romasch., Susanna & N.Garcia}}
*''[[Arctium pentacanthum]]'' {{small|(Regel & Schmalh.) Kuntze}}
*''[[Arctium pseudarctium]]'' {{small|(Bornm.) Duist.}} – Afghanistan, Tajikistan
*''[[Arctium pterolepidum]]'' {{small|(Kult.) S.López, Romasch., Susanna & N.Garcia}}
*''[[Arctium radula]]'' {{small|Juz. & Ye.V.Serg.}}
*''[[Arctium refractum]]'' {{small|(Bornm.) S.López, Romasch., Susanna & N.Garcia}}
*''[[Arctium sardaimionense]]'' {{small|Rassulova & B.A.Sharipova}} – Tajikistan
*''[[Arctium schmalhausenii]]'' {{small|Kuntze}}
*[[Arctium × semiconstrictum|''Arctium'' × ''semiconstrictum'']] {{small|Duist.}}
*''[[Arctium tomentellum]]'' {{small|(C.Winkl.) Kuntze}}
*''[[Arctium tomentosum]]'' {{small|Mill.}} – woolly burdock – northern and eastern Europe, Turkey, Iran, Caucasus, Siberia, Xinjiang; naturalized in North America
*''[[Arctium triflorum]]'' {{small|Kuntze}}
*''[[Arctium ugamense]]'' {{small|(Karmysch.) S.López, Romasch., Susanna & N.Garcia}}
*''[[Arctium umbrosum]]'' {{small|(Bunge) Kuntze}}
*''[[Arctium vavilovii]]'' {{small|(Kult.) S.López, Romasch., Susanna & N.Garcia}}
*[[Arctium × zalewskii|''Arctium'' × ''zalewskii'']] {{small|(Dybowski.) Arènes}}
{{div col end}}

=== Etymology ===
Circa 16th century, from [[bur]] + dock, the latter meaning [[sorrel]] of the genus [[Rumex]].<ref>''Collins Dictionary''</ref>

== Ecology ==
The [[root]]s of burdock, among other plants, are eaten by the [[larva]] of the ghost moth (''[[Hepialus humuli]]''). The plant is used as a food plant by other [[Lepidoptera]] including [[brown-tail]], ''[[Coleophora paripennella]]'', ''[[Coleophora peribenanderi]]'', the [[Gothic (moth)|Gothic]], [[lime-speck pug]] and [[scalloped hazel]].

The prickly heads of these plants ([[Burr (fruit)|burrs]]) are noted for easily catching on to fur and clothing. In England, some birdwatchers have reported that birds have become entangled in the burrs leading to a slow death, as they are unable to free themselves.<ref name="sas">{{cite web |date=August 2012 |title=Chapter Begins Burdock Removal Project |url=http://sacajaweaaudubon.org/2012/08/chapter-begins-burdock-removal-project/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181104085227/http://sacajaweaaudubon.org/2012/08/chapter-begins-burdock-removal-project/ |archive-date=4 November 2018 |access-date=December 13, 2012 |publisher=Sacajawea Audubon Society |location=Greater Bozeman, MT}}</ref>

== Toxicity ==
The green, above-ground portions may cause [[contact dermatitis]] in individual with allergies as the plant contains [[lactone]]s.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Calapai |first1=G |last2=Miroddi |first2=M |last3=Minciullo |first3=PL |last4=Caputi |first4=AP |last5=Gangemi |first5=S |last6=Schmidt |first6=RJ |date=July 2014 |title=Contact dermatitis as an adverse reaction to some topically used European herbal medicinal products - part 1: Achillea millefolium-Curcuma longa. |journal=Contact Dermatitis |volume=71 |issue=1 |pages=1–12 |doi=10.1111/cod.12222 |pmid=24621152 |doi-access= |s2cid=30930806}}</ref>

== Uses ==

=== Food and drink ===
[[File:Burdockgobo.jpg|thumb|A dish containing a Japanese appetizer, {{transl|ja|[[kinpira|kinpira gobō]]}}, consisting of sautéed burdock root and carrot, with a side of sautéed dried daikon]]
The [[taproot]] of young burdock plants can be harvested and eaten as a [[root vegetable]]. While generally out of favour in modern European [[cuisine]], it is popular in East Asia. ''[[Arctium lappa]]'' is known as {{transl|zh|niúbàng}} ({{lang|zh|牛蒡}}) in Chinese, the same name having been borrowed into Japanese as {{transl|ja|gobō}}, and is eaten in Japan, Korea and Taiwan. In Korean, burdock root is called {{transl|ko|u-eong}} ({{lang|ko|우엉}}) and sold as {{transl|ko|tong u-eong}} ({{lang|ko|통우엉}}), or "whole burdock". Plants are cultivated for their slender roots, which can grow up to about one metre long and two centimetres across. Burdock root is very crisp and has a sweet, mild, or pungent flavour with a little muddy harshness that can be reduced by soaking [[Julienning|julienned]] or shredded roots in water for five to ten minutes. The roots have been used as potato substitutes in Russia.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Nyerges|first=Christopher|title=Foraging Washington: Finding, Identifying, and Preparing Edible Wild Foods|publisher=Falcon Guides|year=2017|isbn=978-1-4930-2534-3|location=Guilford, CT|oclc=965922681}}</ref>

Immature flower stalks may also be harvested in late spring, before flowers appear; their taste resembles that of [[globe artichoke|artichoke]], to which the burdock is related. The stalks are thoroughly peeled, and either eaten raw, or boiled in salt water.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Szczawinski, A.F. |author2=Turner, N.J. |year=1978 |title= Edible Garden Weeds of Canada |publisher=National Museum of Natural Sciences}}</ref> Leaves are also eaten in spring in Japan when a plant is young and leaves are soft. Some ''A. lappa'' cultivars are specialized for this purpose. A popular Japanese dish is {{transl|ja|[[kinpira]] gobō}} ({{lang|ja|金平牛蒡}}), julienned or shredded burdock root and [[carrot]], braised with [[soy sauce]], [[sugar]], [[mirin]] and/or [[sake]], and [[sesame oil]]. Another is burdock [[makizushi]] ([[sushi]] filled with pickled burdock root; the burdock root is often artificially coloured orange to resemble a carrot).

In the second half of the 20th century, burdock achieved international recognition for its culinary use due to the increasing popularity of the [[macrobiotic diet]], which advocates its consumption. It contains a fair amount of [[dietary fiber]] (GDF, 6&nbsp;g per 100&nbsp;g), calcium, potassium, and amino acids,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nikkeibp.co.jp/archives/419/419412.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120904135938/http://www.nikkeibp.co.jp/archives/419/419412.html|archive-date=2012-09-04|title=ゴボウの皮はむかないのが"新常識" (06/01/19) - ニュース - nikkei BPnet}}</ref> and is low in calories. It contains the [[prebiotic (nutrition)|prebiotic]] fiber [[inulin]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Itaya |first1=Nair Massumi |last2=Oliveira |first2=Maria Gabriela Xavier de |last3=Oliveira |first3=Mirela Caroline Vilela de |last4=Porreta |first4=Camila |last5=Menão |first5=Márcia Cristina |last6=Borges |first6=Ricardo Moraes |last7=Silva |first7=José Roberto Machado Cunha da |last8=Borges |first8=João Carlos Shimada |last9=Knöbl |first9=Terezinha |title=Prebiotic effects of inulin extracted from burdock (Arctium lappa) in broilers |journal=Arquivos do Instituto Biológico |date=1 February 2018 |volume=84 |doi=10.1590/1808-1657000522016 |url=https://www.scielo.br/j/aib/a/6j73pJw55B3XPhVyrSs8r7m/?format=pdf&lang=en |access-date=3 November 2022|doi-access=free }}</ref>  It contains a [[polyphenol oxidase]],<ref>Extraction, Partial Characterization, and Inhibition Patterns of Polyphenol Oxidase from Burdock (Arctium lappa). Mie S. Lee-Kim, Eun S. Hwang and Kyung H. Kim, Enzymatic Browning and Its Prevention, Chapter 21, pp. 267–276, {{doi|10.1021/bk-1995-0600.ch021}}</ref> which causes its darkened surface and muddy harshness by forming [[tannin]]-[[iron]] complexes. Burdock root's harshness harmonizes well with [[pork]] in miso soup ([[tonjiru]]) and with Japanese-style [[pilaf]] ([[takikomi gohan]]).

[[Dandelion and burdock]] is a [[soft drink]] that has long been popular in the [[United Kingdom]]; it has its origins in [[hedgerow mead]] commonly drunk in the [[mediæval period]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.celtnet.org.uk/recipes/brewing/fetch-recipe.php?rid=dandelion-burdock-beer |title=Mead Recipes: Dandelion and Burdock Beer |publisher=Dyfed Lloyd Evans |access-date=December 17, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121017165356/http://www.celtnet.org.uk/recipes/brewing/fetch-recipe.php?rid=dandelion-burdock-beer |archive-date=17 October 2012 }}</ref> Burdock is believed to be a [[galactagogue]], a substance that increases [[lactation]], but it is sometimes recommended to be avoided during pregnancy based on animal studies that show components of burdock to cause uterus stimulation.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/patient-burdock.html |title=Burdock (Arctium lappa): MedlinePlus Supplements |publisher=Nlm.nih.gov |date=July 20, 2010 |access-date=September 12, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100717095144/http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/patient-burdock.html |archive-date=17 July 2010 }}</ref>

In Europe, burdock root was used as a [[bittering agent]] in [[beer]] before the widespread adoption of [[hops]] for this purpose.

=== Traditional medicine ===
The seeds of ''A. lappa'' are used in [[traditional Chinese medicine]] under the name {{transl|zh|niubangzi}} ({{zh|c=牛蒡子|p=niúbángzi}}; some dictionaries list the Chinese as just {{zh|c=牛蒡|p=niúbàng}}).<ref>{{cite journal| pmc=5658563 | pmid=28890521 | doi=10.1292/jvms.17-0345 | volume=79 | issue=10 | title=Effect of burdock extract on physical performance and physiological fatigue in mice | year=2017 | journal=J Vet Med Sci | pages=1698–1706 | last1 = Chen | first1 = WC | last2 = Hsu | first2 = YJ | last3 = Lee | first3 = MC | last4 = Li | first4 = HS | last5 = Ho | first5 = CS | last6 = Huang | first6 = CC | last7 = Chen | first7 = FA}}</ref>

Burdock is a traditional [[medicinal herb]] used for many ailments. Burdock root oil extract, also called bur oil, is used in Europe as a scalp treatment.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZuWcxtk0wRQC&q=Burdock+is+a+traditional+medicinal+herb+used+for+many+ailments.+Burdock+root+oil+extract%2C+also+called+Bur+oil%2C+is+used+in+Europe+as+a+scalp+treatment.&pg=PA38|title=Prescription for Herbal Healing|last=Balch|first=Phyllis A.|date=2002-01-01|publisher=Penguin|isbn=978-0-89529-869-0|language=en}}</ref>

== In culture ==
[[File:Burdock Kilim Motifs.jpg|thumb|Burdock [[kilim motifs]]]]

{{quote|source=Russian author [[Leo Tolstoy]], in his journal (July, 1896) of a tiny shoot of burdock he saw in a [[plough]]ed field|Black from dust but still alive and red in the center. It reminded me of ''Hadji Murad.'' It makes me want to write. It asserts life to the end, and alone in the midst of the whole field, somehow or other had asserted it.}}

In Turkish Anatolia, the burdock plant was believed to ward off the [[evil eye]], and as such is often a motif appearing woven into [[kilims]] for protection. With its many flowers, the plant also symbolizes abundance.<ref name="Erbek">{{cite book |author=Erbek, Güran |title=Kilim Catalogue No. 1 |publisher =May Selçuk A. S. |date=1998 |pages=4–30}}</ref> Before and during [[World War II]], Japanese soldiers were issued a 15-1/2-inch bayonet held in a black-painted scabbard, the juken. Their nickname was the burdock sword (''gobo ken'').

[[Mary Palmer]]'s mid 18th century  ''Devonshire Dialogue'' records the burrs of the plant being known in Devon, England, as "bachelor's-buttons".

=== Inspiration for velcro ===
After taking his dog for a walk one day in the late 1940s (1948), [[George de Mestral]], a Swiss inventor, became curious about the seeds of the burdock plant that had attached themselves to his clothes and to the dog's fur. Under a microscope, he looked closely at the hook system that the seeds use to hitchhike on passing animals aiding seed dispersal, and he realized that the same approach could be used to join other things together. His work led to the development of the [[hook and loop fastener]], which was initially sold under the [[Velcro]] brand name.<ref name="Hook and loop fastener">{{cite book |last=Strauss |first=Steven D. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F_yOHB54CxsC&pg=PA18 |title=The Big Idea: How Business Innovators Get Great Ideas to Market |date=December 2001 |publisher=Kaplan Business |isbn=0-7931-4837-5 |pages=15–pp.18 |author-link1=Steven Strauss |access-date=May 9, 2008}}</ref>

[[Serbo-Croatian]] uses the same word, {{lang|sh|čičak}}, for burdock and velcro;<ref name="cicak">{{cite web|url=http://hjp.znanje.hr/index.php?show=search_by_id&id=f1pnWRU%3D&keyword=%C4%8Di%C4%8Dak|title=čičak | work = Hrvatski jezični portal |language=hr |publisher= Znanje d.d. and Srce |access-date=September 17, 2013}}</ref> Turkish does the same with the name {{lang|tr|pitrak}}, while in the [[Polish language]] {{lang|pl|rzep}} means both "burr" and "velcro".<ref>{{Cite web |title=rzep - definicja, synonimy, przykłady użycia |url=https://sjp.pwn.pl/szukaj/rzep.html |access-date=2022-08-27 |website=sjp.pwn.pl |language=pl}}</ref> The German word for burdock is {{lang|de|Klette}} and velcro is {{lang|de|Klettverschluss}} (= burdock fastener).{{citation needed|date=May 2020}} 
In [[Norwegian language|Norwegian]] burdock is {{lang|no|borre}} and velcro {{lang|no|borrelås}}, which translates to "burdock lock".<ref>{{Cite web|title=Borrelås|url=http://www.sprakradet.no/Vi-og-vart/hva-skjer/Aktuelt-ord/Borrelas/|access-date=2021-09-13|website=Språkrådet|language=nn}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist|2}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category-inline|Arctium}}

{{Japanese food and drink}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q27257}}










[[Category:Arctium| ]]
[[Category:Asteraceae genera]]
[[Category:Medicinal plants]]
[[Category:Root vegetables]]
[[Category:Stem vegetables]]
[[Category:Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus]]