Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Asterids: Campanulids: Asterales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Arctium minus
FAMILY
Asteraceae__
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Check out EDDMapS.org to see where this has been reported.
Read more about Lesser Burdock at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Arctium minus
FAMILY
Asteraceae__
SYNONYMOUS WITH Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Arctium minus
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 19-20-21 (2006)
Arctium minus
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 179-26-003:
Arctium minus FAMILY Asteraceae__
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Arctium minus
COMMON NAME:
Lesser Burdock, Common Burdock
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
USDA Forest Service / A Guide to Medicinal Plants of Appalachia. 1969 mpa_page_061
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_armi2_001_lvd
)
USDA / Selected Weeds of the US. 1970 swus_page_373
)
JK Marlow jkm150422_402
April Jackson County NC
)
JK Marlow jkm150422_403
April Jackson County NC
Petiole of the basal leaves hollow (at least toward base), per Weakley's Flora (2015).
)
Sam Pratt sbp_20140428_150528
April Spartanburg County SC
A basal whorl of large ovate, cordate, serrate leaves, 15-45cm long, per Wild Flowers of NC, 2nd edition (Justice, Bell, & Lindsey, 2005).
)
Sam Pratt sbp_20140428_150538
April Spartanburg County SC
)
JK Marlow jkm160505_532
May Jackson County NC
)
JK Marlow jkm160505_533
May Jackson County NC
)
JK Marlow jkm160505_534
May Jackson County NC
)
JK Marlow jkm070702_165
July Pocahontas County WV
The Falls of Hill Creek
)
JK Marlow jkm070702_168
July Pocahontas County WV
The Falls of Hill Creek
)
JK Marlow jkm070702_171
July Pocahontas County WV
The Falls of Hill Creek
)
JK Marlow jkm070702_175
July Pocahontas County WV
The Falls of Hill Creek
)
JK Marlow jkm070702_178
July Pocahontas County WV
The Falls of Hill Creek
)
JK Marlow jkm070702_180
July Pocahontas County WV
The Falls of Hill Creek
)
JK Marlow jkm160827_654
August Henderson County NC
Bearwallow Mountain
)
JK Marlow jkm120920_957
September Washington County VA
Virginia Creeper Trail
Flowers suggestive of a Thistle, but the leaves are neither prickly or spiny, per Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998).
)
JK Marlow jkm120920_959
September Washington County VA
Virginia Creeper Trail
Leaves alternate, ovate, serrate-dentate, cordate to truncate, petiolate, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
JK Marlow jkm120920_959b
September Washington County VA
Virginia Creeper Trail
Involucres globose, their bracts terminating in long sharply hooked spines, per Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998).
)
JK Marlow jkm120920_961
September Washington County VA
Virginia Creeper Trail
)
JK Marlow jkm120920_963
September Washington County VA
Virginia Creeper Trail
)
JK Marlow jkm120920_973
September Washington County VA
Virginia Creeper Trail
Leaves loosely tomentose to floccose beneath, petiolate, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
Mary Ellen (Mel) Harte, Bugwood.org bug_1358052
Month Unknown
)
Mary Ellen (Mel) Harte, Bugwood.org bug_1358057
Month Unknown
)
Theodore Webster, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Bugwood.org bug_1553141
Month Unknown
)
John M. Randall, The Nature Conservancy, Bugwood.org bug_5391897
Month Unknown
)
John M. Randall, The Nature Conservancy, Bugwood.org bug_5391898
Month Unknown
)
Bruce Ackley, The Ohio State University, Bugwood.org bug_5436785
Month Unknown
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Arctium minus
FAMILY
Asteraceae__
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Arctium minus
FAMILY
Asteraceae__
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Arctium minus
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 19-20-21
Arctium minus
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 179-26-003:
Arctium minus
FAMILY
Asteraceae__
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Arctium minus
118
Forb
Biennial
Habitat: Pastures, barnyards, roadsides, other disturbed areas, per Weakley's Flora
Non-native: Eurasia
Common in Mountains, uncommon in NC Piedmont (rare elsewhere in GA-NC-SC)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
This plant may be causing problems in natural areas outside its native range, according to authorities such as:
LEAVES:
Simple
Basal & alternate
FLOWER:
Summer/Fall
Disc: Reddish-purple/ Lavender
Rays: Absent
Inferior ovary
Bisexual
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Brown/Black
Achene
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Invasive Plants, Guide to Identification, Impacts and Control (Kaufman & Kaufman, 2007) p280
- Newcomb's Wildflower Guide (Newcomb, 1977) p412
- Wildflowers of the Atlantic Southeast (Cotterman, Waitt, & Weakley, 2019) p381
- Wild Flowers of NC, 2nd edition (Justice, Bell, & Lindsey, 2005) p254
- Wildflowers of the Southern Mountains (Smith, 1998) p186
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".