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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 Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 76%

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

At a glance

Life cycle
Biennial
Bloom
June to November

Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves

Recorded in 74 Virginia counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

27CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · 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
  • Lacanobia grandisGrand Arches
  • Melanchra pictaPainted Arches, Zebra Caterpillar Moth
  • Ogdoconta cinereolaCommon Pinkband Groundling
Show all 27
  • Papaipema arctivorensNorthern Burdock Borer Moth
  • Papaipema cataphractaBurdock Border, Potato-Stalk Borer
  • Papaipema cerussataIronweed Borer Moth
  • Papaipema harrisiiHeracleum Stem Borer Moth, Cow Parsnip Borer
  • Papaipema marginidensBrick-Red Borer
  • Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
  • Papaipema necopinaSunflower Borer
  • Papaipema nelitaConeflower Borer
  • Papaipema rutilaMayapple 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
Also known as

Common Burdock

Conservation status

Virginia rankNot available
Global rankGNR
VA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

Native alternatives

Find natives for your garden

Sources