Giant edible burdock confirmed growing wild on a Queens street corner
iNaturalist: tod54284
Urban Ecology
The bur-covered seed pods on this roadside plant are the same design that inspired Velcro, and its root is a staple vegetable in Japanese cooking, so a patch growing wild near a New York sidewalk is worth a second look next time you're out walking.
Someone walking near Kissena Boulevard in Queens found a greater burdock plant and logged it on iNaturalist, where other naturalists confirmed the identification. Greater burdock is a big, weedy plant with hook-covered burs that stick to clothes and fur, and its long taproot is edible and widely used in Asian cuisine and herbal medicine. Confirmed sightings like this one help track where this plant is establishing itself in cities.
Key Findings
Observation reached 'research-grade' status on iNaturalist, meaning the ID was confirmed by community consensus
Located in a dense urban corridor (Kissena Blvd/Negundo Ave, Queens, NY 11355), showing the species' tolerance for disturbed, paved environments
Arctium lappa is non-native to North America but widely naturalized; its root is edible (gobo) and its burs are famously the inspiration for Velcro
chevron_right Technical Summary
A gardener in Queens, New York spotted and confirmed a greater burdock plant growing along a city street, adding a verified data point to the map of where this large, burr-producing plant is spreading in urban environments.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
greater burdock (Arctium lappa) observed in Kissena Blvd/Negundo Av, Queens, NY 11355, USA
Research-grade observation of greater burdock in Kissena Blvd/Negundo Av, Queens, NY 11355, USA.
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
Species Mentioned
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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.