Lesser Burdock

Arctium minus

Found in pastures, barnyards, roadsides, other disturbed areas. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

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Not native

Not native to Alabama. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 76%

Height: 2–5 feet
Light: Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture: Dry to moist

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At a glance

Life cycle: Biennial
Bloom: June to November

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Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves

Recorded in 7 Alabama counties.

Habitats

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground.

Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there. All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

21CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AL

Genus host records with ranges including AL · Arctium

Anagrapha falciferaCelery Looper Moth
Apatelodes torrefactaSpotted Apatelodes
Autographa precationisCommon Looper Moth
Choristoneura rosaceanaOblique-Banded Leafroller Moth, Rosaceous Leaf Roller
Epiblema scudderianaScudder's Epiblema, Goldenrod Gall Moth
Feltia subterraneaSubterranean Dart, Granulate Cutworm
Herpetogramma pertextalisBold-Feathered Grass Moth
Ogdoconta cinereolaCommon Pinkband Groundling
Papaipema cataphractaBurdock Border, Potato-Stalk Borer
Papaipema cerussataIronweed Borer Moth

Show all 21

Papaipema harrisiiHeracleum Stem Borer Moth, Cow Parsnip Borer
Papaipema marginidensBrick-Red Borer
Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
Platyptilia carduidactylusArtichoke Plume Moth
Ponometia candefactaOlive-Shaded Bird-Dropping Moth
Ponometia erastrioidesSmall Bird-Dropping Moth
Pyrrharctia isabellaIsabella Tiger Moth, Banded Woolybear
Sparganothis sulfureanaSparganothis Fruitworm Moth, Sulfur Leafroller, False Yellow-Head
Spilosoma virginicaVirginian Tiger Moth, Yellow Woolybear Moth, Yellow Bear
Vanessa carduiPainted Lady, Cosmopolite
Vanessa virginiensisAmerican Lady, American Painted Lady

Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)

—BeesSoutheastern regional records

1Specialist beesPollen specialists

Pollen specialists · Arctium

Melissodes desponsus

Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0

1BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Arctium

Perdix perdixGray Partridge

Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family: Asteraceae
Hardiness: Zones 3a–10b
Soil pH: Acidic to neutral
Flower color: Pink or purple

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope

Bloom · “Late June to November” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
Flower color · “Pink or purple” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Hardiness · “Zones 3a–10b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Height · “2–5 feet” · Minnesota Wildflowers
Life cycle · “Biennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Light · “Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Soil · “Dry; Moist (documented habitat)” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
Soil pH · “Acidic to neutral” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox

Also known as

Common Burdock

Conservation status

Alabama rank	Not available
Global rank	GNR
AL status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

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