Arctium

Arctiumis agenusofbiennial plantscommonly known asburdock, familyAsteraceae.Native to Europe and Asia, several species have been widely introduced worldwide.Burdock's clinging properties, in addition to providing an excellent mechanism forseed dispersal, led to the invention of thehook and loop fastener.
Plants of the genusArctiumhave dark green leaves that can grow up to 70 centimetres (28 inches) long. They are generally large, coarse, and ovate, with the lower ones being heart-shaped. They are woolly underneath. The leafstalks are generally hollow.Arctiumspecies 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.
Burdock's clinging properties make it an excellent mechanism forseed dispersal.
A large number of species have been placed in genusArctiumat one time or another, but most of them are now classified in the related genusCousinia. The precise limits betweenArctiumandCousiniaare hard to define; there is an exact relation between their molecularphylogeny. The burdocks are sometimes confused with the cockleburs (genusXanthium) andrhubarb(genusRheum).
The following species are accepted:
Circa 16th century, frombur+ dock, the latter meaningsorrelof the genusRumex.
Therootsof burdock, among other plants, are eaten by thelarvaof the ghost moth (Hepialus humuli). The plant is used as a food plant by otherLepidopteraincludingbrown-tail,Coleophora paripennella,Coleophora peribenanderi, theGothic,lime-speck pugandscalloped hazel.
The prickly heads of these plants (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.
The green, above-ground portions may causecontact dermatitisin individual with allergies as the plant containslactones.
Thetaprootof young burdock plants can be harvested and eaten as aroot vegetable. While generally out of favour in modern Europeancuisine, it is popular in East Asia.Arctium lappais known asniúbàng(牛蒡) in Chinese, the same name having been borrowed into Japanese asgobō, and is eaten in Japan, Korea and Taiwan. In Korean, burdock root is calledu-eong(우엉) and sold astong u-eong(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 soakingjuliennedor shredded roots in water for five to ten minutes. The roots have been used as potato substitutes in Russia.
Immature flower stalks may also be harvested in late spring, before flowers appear; their taste resembles that ofartichoke, to which the burdock is related. The stalks are thoroughly peeled, and either eaten raw, or boiled in salt water.Leaves are also eaten in spring in Japan when a plant is young and leaves are soft. SomeA. lappacultivars are specialized for this purpose. A popular Japanese dish iskinpiragobō(金平牛蒡), julienned or shredded burdock root andcarrot, braised withsoy sauce,sugar,mirinand/orsake, andsesame oil. Another is burdockmakizushi(sushifilled 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 themacrobiotic diet, which advocates its consumption. It contains a fair amount ofdietary fiber(GDF, 6 g per 100 g), calcium, potassium, and amino acids,and is low in calories. It contains theprebioticfiberinulin.It contains apolyphenol oxidase,which causes its darkened surface and muddy harshness by formingtannin-ironcomplexes. Burdock root's harshness harmonizes well withporkin miso soup (tonjiru) and with Japanese-stylepilaf(takikomi gohan).
Dandelion and burdockis asoft drinkthat has long been popular in theUnited Kingdom; it has its origins inhedgerow meadcommonly drunk in themediæval period.Burdock is believed to be agalactagogue, a substance that increaseslactation, but it is sometimes recommended to be avoided during pregnancy based on animal studies that show components of burdock to cause uterus stimulation.
In Europe, burdock root was used as abittering agentinbeerbefore the widespread adoption ofhopsfor this purpose.
The seeds ofA. lappaare used intraditional Chinese medicineunder the nameniubangzi(Chinese:牛蒡子;pinyin:niúbángzi; some dictionaries list the Chinese as justChinese:牛蒡;pinyin:niúbàng).
Burdock is a traditionalmedicinal herbused for many ailments. Burdock root oil extract, also called bur oil, is used in Europe as a scalp treatment.
In Turkish Anatolia, the burdock plant was believed to ward off theevil eye, and as such is often a motif appearing woven intokilimsfor protection. With its many flowers, the plant also symbolizes abundance.Before and duringWorld 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 centuryDevonshire Dialoguerecords the burrs of the plant being known in Devon, England, as "bachelor's-buttons".
TheEnglish folkartistNancy Kerrrefers to "The Land of Santa Georgia where the Banks of Burdocks Grow" in her song Santa Georgia, supposedly representing the relationship between country and city in modern England (especially Sheffield).
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 thehook and loop fastener, which was initially sold under theVelcrobrand name.
Serbo-Croatianuses the same word,čičak, for burdock and velcro;Turkish does the same with the namepitrak, while in thePolish languagerzepmeans both "burr" and "velcro".The German word for burdock isKletteand velcro isKlettverschluss(= burdock fastener).InNorwegianburdock isborreand velcroborrelås, which translates to "burdock lock".
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