My burs stick to clothes and to hair,
I dominate nitrogen-rich soils without a care,
There’s a clean-up program all for me,
To keep the Valley Trail weed-free!
Those familiar with our Adopt-A-Trail program, hopefully, you got this one. No worries if you didn’t, there is still time to get well acquainted with Common Burdock (Arctium minus) by volunteering to remove it this summer!
Common Burdock really has a way of catching your attention with its Velcro-like burs. These burs are actually the biennial’s seed heads, composed of bracts tipped with sharp hooks. With seeds that expertly cling on to animals fur and peoples clothing, this Eurasian plant has hitch-hiked all across North America and become a bothersome invasive.
This sticky weed can be identified by its leaves that form a rosette in the first year, with large and wavy heart-shaped basal leaves that sometimes get confused for rhubarb. In its second year of growth, a coarse stem shoots up, reaching up to 3 m tall. Leaves with wavy edges and a wooly underside grow in an alternate pattern up the stem. Common Burdock’s flowers also emerge in the plant’s second year of growth! Purple blooms rest atop circular burs with hooked, prickly bristles. Eventually, these flowers mature into brown Velcro-like burs that cling onto the animals or humans that brush against them. Common Burdock burs can cling to animals’ fur for several weeks and get transported over 10 km.
Common Burdock is found throughout the Sea to Sky, growing in moist, fertile, nitrogen-rich soils of disturbed areas such as roads, ditches, and riparian areas. Luckily, mechanical control efforts can be used to remove this species. In Burdock’s first year (rosette stage), the entire taproot must be dug out of the ground with a shovel. Burdock in its second year can be controlled by cutting off all above-ground vegetation, before the plant has gone to seed. To avoid Burdock’s allelopathic effects on the surrounding soil, be sure to remove all plant material from the site. Place all plant material (especially seed heads) in sealed garbage bags and dispose with your household waste – do NOT compost.
Following SSISC’s Priority Species List, we look to strategically control this invasive plant. Think you’ve spotted Common Burdock? Report sightings here.
I Spy in the Sea to Sky Contest
Guess the invasive species in our I Spy in the Sea to Sky weekly social media post, June through August, to enter the giveaway. At the end of each month, one lucky commenter will win a Native Wildflower seed mix packet!
Contest Rules:
- Comment your guess (common/species name) on either Facebook or Instagram post to enter
- One entry per person per post
- Anyone can play, but only residents of the Sea to Sky region are eligible to win (as prizes will be delivered)
- Content entries will close at 11:59 PM PST on the last day of the month
- Winners will be announced in the first week of the following month on the SSISC Instagram story and contacted via their platform of entry
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