Florets of arctium minus are longer than the bracts, so appear to rise above rather than be contained within, as is the case for the less common arctium lappa.
Common name:
Lesser burdock
Family:
Scientific name:
Arctium minus
Main flower color:
Range:
All across the UK
Height:
Up to 130 cm
Habitat:
Disturbed ground, woodland margins, hedgerows, roadsides
Flowers:
Compact clusters of egg-shaped flowerheads, attached by short, hairy pedicels (less than 2 cm in length). Flowerheads, up to 2 cm in diameter, have a cluster of pinkish-purple florets, the corollas of which usually project further than the greenish, spiny, woolly bracts below. Bracts are hooked at the tip. Stems are grooved. The fused anthers are darker purple in color, while the forked stigma is white
Leaves:
Broad, ovate, up to 40 cm in length; up to twice as long as wide
Season:
July to September
Rarity:
★★★★★
