Fauna
Plant

Lesser Burdock

Arctium minus

Also known as Little Burdock, Louse-Bur, Common Burdock, Button-Bur

Lesser burdock forms massive rosette leaves in its first year before sending up a tall, branched stalk lined with purple thistle-like flower heads in its second year. The hooked burs cling tenaciously to animal fur and clothing, a seed dispersal mechanism that famously inspired the invention of Velcro. Found widely along disturbed roadsides, pastures, and woodland edges, it serves as a critical late-summer nectar source for bees and butterflies.

BiennialFloweringRoadside
Lesser Burdock reference1 / 7
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Least ConcernConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXLeast ConcernRed List categories, explained →
Key facts
Diet & preyAutotrophic (Photosynthetic)
Predators
  • Caterpillars
  • Mice
  • Snails
ThreatsHerbicide application, intensive land management
HabitatsDisturbed ground, roadsides, pastures, waste places, forest edges
Life span2 years (Biennial)
Classification
  1. OrderAsterales
  2. FamilyAsteraceae
  3. GenusArctium
  4. SpeciesArctium minus
Range & activity
Range data is not available yet.
Safe observation
Interaction riskLow
  1. Low
  2. Moderate
  3. High
  4. Very high
Why interaction risk is low
Safe to observe at a normal distance; hooked burs easily attach to clothing and fur.
Responsible observation
  • Identification: Check for hollow leaf stalks to distinguish this species from greater burdock.
  • Handling: Wear smooth fabrics when hiking near mature plants to prevent seed burs from clinging.
  • Observation: Visit flowering stalks on warm summer afternoons to spot a wide array of native pollinators.
Related species
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