Arctium

Last updated

Burdock
Villtakjas 2008.jpg
Arctium tomentosum
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Subfamily: Carduoideae
Tribe: Cardueae
Subtribe: Arctiinae
Genus: Arctium
L. 1753 not Lam. 1779
Synonyms [1] [2]
  • Anura(Juz.) Tschern.
  • ArciumRupr.
  • ArcionBubani
  • BardanaHill
  • HypacanthiumJuz.
  • LappaScop., nom. superfl.
  • SchmalhauseniaC.Winkl.

Arctium is a genus of biennial plants commonly known as burdock, family Asteraceae. [3] Native to Europe and Asia, several species have been widely introduced worldwide. [4] Burdock's clinging properties, in addition to providing an excellent mechanism for seed dispersal, led to the invention of the hook and loop fastener.

Contents

Description

Plants of the genus Arctium have 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. Arctium species 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. [5]

Burdock's clinging properties make it an excellent mechanism for seed dispersal. [4]

Taxonomy

A large number of species have been placed in genus Arctium at one time or another, but most of them are now classified in the related genus Cousinia . The precise limits between Arctium and Cousinia are hard to define; there is an exact relation between their molecular phylogeny. The burdocks are sometimes confused with the cockleburs (genus Xanthium ) and rhubarb (genus Rheum).

Accepted species

The following species are accepted: [1]

Etymology

Circa 16th century, from bur + dock, the latter meaning sorrel of the genus Rumex. [6]

Ecology

The roots of burdock, among other plants, are eaten by the larva of the ghost moth ( Hepialus humuli ). The plant is used as a food plant by other Lepidoptera including brown-tail, Coleophora paripennella , Coleophora peribenanderi , the Gothic, lime-speck pug and scalloped 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. [7]

Toxicity

The green, above-ground portions may cause contact dermatitis in individual with allergies as the plant contains lactones. [8]

Uses

Food and drink

A dish containing a Japanese appetizer, kinpira gobo, consisting of sauteed burdock root and carrot, with a side of sauteed dried daikon Burdockgobo.jpg
A dish containing a Japanese appetizer, kinpira gobō , consisting of sautéed burdock root and carrot, with a side of sautéed dried daikon

The taproot of young burdock plants can be harvested and eaten as a root vegetable. While generally out of favour in modern European cuisine, it is popular in East Asia. Arctium lappa is known as niúbàng (牛蒡) in Chinese, the same name having been borrowed into Japanese as gobō, and is eaten in Japan, Korea and Taiwan. In Korean, burdock root is called u-eong (우엉) and sold as tong 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 soaking julienned or shredded roots in water for five to ten minutes. The roots have been used as potato substitutes in Russia. [9]

Immature flower stalks may also be harvested in late spring, before flowers appear; their taste resembles that of artichoke, to which the burdock is related. The stalks are thoroughly peeled, and either eaten raw, or boiled in salt water. [10] Leaves are also eaten in spring in Japan when a plant is young and leaves are soft. Some A. lappa cultivars are specialized for this purpose. A popular Japanese dish is kinpira gobō (金平牛蒡), julienned or shredded burdock root and carrot, braised with soy sauce, sugar, mirin and/or sake, and sesame oil. Another is burdock makizushi (sushi filled 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 the macrobiotic diet, which advocates its consumption. It contains a fair amount of dietary fiber (GDF, 6 g per 100 g), calcium, potassium, and amino acids, [11] and is low in calories. It contains the prebiotic fiber inulin. [12] It contains a polyphenol oxidase, [13] which causes its darkened surface and muddy harshness by forming tannin-iron complexes. Burdock root's harshness harmonizes well with pork in miso soup (tonjiru) and with Japanese-style pilaf (takikomi gohan).

Dandelion and burdock is a soft drink that has long been popular in the United Kingdom; it has its origins in hedgerow mead commonly drunk in the mediæval period. [14] Burdock is believed to be a galactagogue, a substance that increases lactation, but it is sometimes recommended to be avoided during pregnancy based on animal studies that show components of burdock to cause uterus stimulation. [15]

In Europe, burdock root was used as a bittering agent in beer before the widespread adoption of hops for this purpose.

Traditional medicine

The seeds of A. lappa are used in traditional Chinese medicine under the name niubangzi (Chinese :牛蒡子; pinyin :niúbángzi; some dictionaries list the Chinese as just Chinese :牛蒡; pinyin :niúbàng). [16]

Burdock is a traditional medicinal herb used for many ailments. Burdock root oil extract, also called bur oil, is used in Europe as a scalp treatment. [17]

In culture

Burdock Kilim motifs Burdock Kilim Motifs.jpg
Burdock Kilim motifs

Black from dust but still alive and red in the center. It reminded me of Hadji Murad. It makes me want to write. It asserts life to the end, and alone in the midst of the whole field, somehow or other had asserted it.

Russian author Leo Tolstoy, in his journal (July, 1896) of a tiny shoot of burdock he saw in a ploughed field

In Turkish Anatolia, the burdock plant was believed to ward off the evil eye, and as such is often a motif appearing woven into kilims for protection. With its many flowers, the plant also symbolizes abundance. [18] Before and during World 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 century Devonshire Dialogue records the burrs of the plant being known in Devon, England, as "bachelor's-buttons".

Inspiration for velcro

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 the hook and loop fastener, which was initially sold under the Velcro brand name. [19]

Serbo-Croatian uses the same word, čičak, for burdock and velcro; [20] Turkish does the same with the name pitrak, while in the Polish language rzep means both "burr" and "velcro". [21] The German word for burdock is Klette and velcro is Klettverschluss (= burdock fastener).[ citation needed ] In Norwegian burdock is borre and velcro borrelås, which translates to "burdock lock". [22]

Related Research Articles

<i>Satureja</i> Genus of flowering plants

Satureja is a genus of aromatic plants of the family Lamiaceae, related to rosemary and thyme. It is native to North Africa, southern and southeastern Europe, the Middle East, and Central Asia. A few New World species were formerly included in Satureja, but they have all been moved to other genera. Several species are cultivated as culinary herbs called savory, and they have become established in the wild in a few places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Root beer</span> Carbonated beverage of North American origin traditionally made with sassafras

Root beer is a sweet North American soft drink traditionally made using the root bark of the sassafras tree Sassafras albidum or the vine of Smilax ornata as the primary flavor. Root beer is typically, but not exclusively, non-alcoholic, caffeine-free, sweet, and carbonated. Like cola, it usually has a thick and foamy head. A well-known use is to add vanilla ice cream to make a root beer float.

<i>Colchicum</i> Genus of flowering plants in the family Colchicaceae

Colchicum is a genus of perennial flowering plants containing around 160 species which grow from bulb-like corms. It is a member of the botanical family Colchicaceae, and is native to West Asia, Europe, parts of the Mediterranean coast, down the East African coast to South Africa and the Western Cape. In this genus, the ovary of the flower is underground. As a consequence, the styles are extremely long in proportion, often more than 10 cm (4 in). All species in the genus are toxic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dandelion and burdock</span> Carbonated drink

Dandelion and burdock is a beverage consumed in the British Isles since the Middle Ages. It was originally a type of light mead but over the years has evolved into the carbonated soft drink commercially available today. Traditionally, it was made from fermented dandelion and burdock roots, hence the name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Root vegetable</span> Plant root used as a vegetable

Root vegetables are underground plant parts eaten by humans as food. Although botany distinguishes true roots from non-roots, the term "root vegetable" is applied to all these types in agricultural and culinary usage.

<i>Dryas</i> (plant) Genus of flowering plants

Dryas is a genus of perennial cushion-forming evergreen dwarf shrubs in the family Rosaceae, native to the arctic and alpine regions of Europe, Asia and North America. The genus is named after the dryads, the tree nymphs of ancient Greek mythology. The classification of Dryas within the Rosaceae has been unclear. The genus was formerly placed in the subfamily Rosoideae, but is now placed in subfamily Dryadoideae.

<i>Pulsatilla</i> Genus of flowering plants in the buttercup family

The genus Pulsatilla contains about 40 species of herbaceous perennial plants native to meadows and prairies of North America, Europe, and Asia. Derived from the Hebrew word for Passover, "pasakh", the common name pasque flower refers to the Easter (Passover) flowering period, in the spring. Common names include pasque flower, wind flower, prairie crocus, Easter flower, and meadow anemone. Several species are valued ornamentals because of their finely-dissected leaves, solitary bell-shaped flowers, and plumed seed heads. The showy part of the flower consists of sepals, not petals.

<i>Arctium lappa</i> Species of flowering plant

Arctium lappa, commonly called greater burdock, gobō (牛蒡/ゴボウ), edible burdock, lappa, beggar's buttons, thorny burr, or happy major is a Eurasian species of plants in the family Asteraceae, cultivated in gardens for its root used as a vegetable. It has become an invasive weed of high-nitrogen soils in North America, Australia, and other regions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bur</span> Seed or dry fruit or infructescence that has hooks or teeth

A bur is a seed or dry fruit or infructescence that has hooks or teeth. The main function of the bur is to spread the seeds of the bur plant, often through epizoochory. The hooks of the bur are used to latch onto fur or fabric, enabling the bur – which contain seeds – to be transported to another location for dispersal. Another use for the spines and hooks are physical protection against herbivores. Their ability to stick to animals and fabrics has shaped their reputation as bothersome.

<i>Hedysarum</i> Genus of legumes

Hedysarum (sweetvetch) is a genus of the botanical family Fabaceae, consisting of about 200 species of annual or perennial herbs in Asia, Europe, North Africa, and North America.

Burdock refers to Arctium, a genus of plants, particularly the species:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cardueae</span> Tribe of flowering plants

The Cardueae are a tribe of flowering plants in the daisy family (Asteraceae) and the subfamily Carduoideae. Most of them are commonly known as thistles; four of the best known genera are Carduus, Cynara, Cirsium, and Onopordum.

<i>Serratula</i>

Serratula is a genus of plants in the tribe Cardueae within the family Asteraceae native to Eurasia. Plumeless saw-wort is a common name for plants in this genus. Serratula as traditionally defined contains at least two groups: one of which is basal within the subtribe Centaureinae and one of which is derived; the former group can be moved to the genus Klasea.

<i>Cousinia</i> Genus of flowering plants

The genus Cousinia of the tribe Cardueae is in its current circumscription one of the larger genera in the Asteraceae, with approximately 650-700 species distributed in central and western Asia.

<i>Valerianella</i> Genus of flowering plants in the honeysuckle family Caprifoliaceae

Valerianella is a genus of plant in family Caprifoliaceae. Many plants of this genus are known by the common name corn salad or cornsalad, although that name most often refers to Valerianella locusta.

<i>Arctium tomentosum</i> Species of flowering plant

Arctium tomentosum, commonly known as the woolly burdock or downy burdock, is a species of burdock belonging to the family Asteraceae. The species was described by Philip Miller in 1768.

Leuzea is a genus of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. Its species are native to Macaronesia, North Africa, and eastwards throughout temperate Eurasia. The genus was established by Augustin Pyramus de Candolle in 1805.

References

  1. 1 2 "Arctium L." Plants of the World Online. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2021. Retrieved 2 September 2021.
  2. "Global Compositae Checklist". Archived from the original on 6 November 2014.
  3. Linnaeus, Carl von. 1753. Species Plantarum 2: 816
  4. 1 2 "Arctium". Flora of North America. Retrieved 4 January 2008.
  5. "Don't Cut Your Burdock Down!". Vermont: Calidonia Spirits. August 2015. Archived from the original on 3 October 2015.
  6. Collins Dictionary
  7. "Chapter Begins Burdock Removal Project". Greater Bozeman, MT: Sacajawea Audubon Society. August 2012. Archived from the original on 4 November 2018. Retrieved 13 December 2012.
  8. Calapai, G; Miroddi, M; Minciullo, PL; Caputi, AP; Gangemi, S; Schmidt, RJ (July 2014). "Contact dermatitis as an adverse reaction to some topically used European herbal medicinal products - part 1: Achillea millefolium-Curcuma longa". Contact Dermatitis. 71 (1): 1–12. doi: 10.1111/cod.12222 . PMID   24621152. S2CID   30930806.
  9. Nyerges, Christopher (2017). Foraging Washington: Finding, Identifying, and Preparing Edible Wild Foods. Guilford, CT: Falcon Guides. ISBN   978-1-4930-2534-3. OCLC   965922681.
  10. Szczawinski, A.F.; Turner, N.J. (1978). Edible Garden Weeds of Canada. National Museum of Natural Sciences.
  11. "ゴボウの皮はむかないのが"新常識" (06/01/19) - ニュース - nikkei BPnet". Archived from the original on 4 September 2012.
  12. Itaya, Nair Massumi; Oliveira, Maria Gabriela Xavier de; Oliveira, Mirela Caroline Vilela de; Porreta, Camila; Menão, Márcia Cristina; Borges, Ricardo Moraes; Silva, José Roberto Machado Cunha da; Borges, João Carlos Shimada; Knöbl, Terezinha (1 February 2018). "Prebiotic effects of inulin extracted from burdock (Arctium lappa) in broilers". Arquivos do Instituto Biológico. 84. doi: 10.1590/1808-1657000522016 . Retrieved 3 November 2022.
  13. Extraction, Partial Characterization, and Inhibition Patterns of Polyphenol Oxidase from Burdock (Arctium lappa). Mie S. Lee-Kim, Eun S. Hwang and Kyung H. Kim, Enzymatic Browning and Its Prevention, Chapter 21, pp. 267–276, doi : 10.1021/bk-1995-0600.ch021
  14. "Mead Recipes: Dandelion and Burdock Beer". Dyfed Lloyd Evans. Archived from the original on 17 October 2012. Retrieved 17 December 2011.
  15. "Burdock (Arctium lappa): MedlinePlus Supplements". Nlm.nih.gov. 20 July 2010. Archived from the original on 17 July 2010. Retrieved 12 September 2010.
  16. Chen, WC; Hsu, YJ; Lee, MC; Li, HS; Ho, CS; Huang, CC; Chen, FA (2017). "Effect of burdock extract on physical performance and physiological fatigue in mice". J Vet Med Sci. 79 (10): 1698–1706. doi:10.1292/jvms.17-0345. PMC   5658563 . PMID   28890521.
  17. Balch, Phyllis A. (1 January 2002). Prescription for Herbal Healing. Penguin. ISBN   9780895298690.
  18. Erbek, Güran (1998). Kilim Catalogue No. 1. May Selçuk A. S. Edition=1st. pp. 4–30.
  19. Strauss, Steven D. (December 2001). The Big Idea: How Business Innovators Get Great Ideas to Market. Kaplan Business. pp. 15–pp.18. ISBN   0-7931-4837-5 . Retrieved 9 May 2008.
  20. "čičak (Hrvatski jezični portal)" (in Croatian). Novi Liber. Retrieved 17 September 2013.
  21. "rzep - definicja, synonimy, przykłady użycia". sjp.pwn.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 27 August 2022.
  22. "Borrelås". Språkrådet (in Norwegian Nynorsk). Retrieved 13 September 2021.

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Arctium at Wikimedia Commons