Arctium sp.
Burdock, Burdock
(c) Matt Lavin, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · licence
Family: Asteraceae · Type: Biennial · Not Native
Arctium sp. (Burdock) is a non-native California biennial in the Asteraceae family.
How to tell it apart
vs Cirsium: Arctium has hooked bract spines and spineless leaves; Cirsium has straight spines on both bracts and leaves.; vs Xanthium: Arctium has purple thistle-like flowers with hooked bracts; Xanthium has woody enclosed burrs containing 2 seeds.; vs Volutaria: Arctium has hooked spines on bracts; Volutaria has papery expanded bract tips without spines.; vs Centaurea: Arctium has hooked spines; Centaurea has fringed or spiny but not hooked bract tips.; vs Saussurea: Arctium has hooked bract tips; Saussurea has simple unadorned bract tips.
Frequently asked questions
Is Arctium sp. native to California?
No. Arctium sp. is not native to California (recorded as not native).
What plant family does Arctium sp. belong to?
Arctium sp. is in the Asteraceae family, genus Arctium.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
Sources: Jepson eFlora · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-04-14
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.