Arctium tomentosum

Arctium tomentosum

The Woolly Burdock (Arctium tomentosum Miller, 1768) is a herbaceous species belonging to the Asteraceae family.

Systematic –
From a systematic point of view it belongs to the Eukaryota Domain, Kingdom Plantae, Superdivision Spermatophyta, Division Magnoliophyta, Class Magnoliopsida, Subclass Asteridae, Order Asterales, Family Asteraceae, Subfamily Cichorioideae, Tribe Cardueae, Subtribu Carduinae and therefore to the Genus Arctium and the Species A. sum.
The terms are synonymous:
– Arctium chabertii Briq. & Cavill .;
– Arctium leptophyllum Klokov;
– Arctium leptophyllum subsp. leptophyllum;
– Arctium tomentosum subsp. tomento sum;
– Lappa tomentosa Lam ..
Furthermore, many hybrids are present in nature, between species of the same genus, as the individual species are interfertile; between these:
– Arctium × ambiguum (Celak.) G. Beck ex Nyman, 1889 – Hybrid with Arctium lappa;
– Arctium × bretonii Rouy, 1912 – Irido with Arctium minus;
– Arctium × leiobardanum Juz. & C.Serg. ex Stepanov – Hybrid with Arctium leiospermum Juz. & Ye.V.Serg., 1957;
– Arctium × mixtum (Simonk.) Nyman, 1889 – Iridium with Arctium minus;
– Arctium × neumanii Rouy, 1905 – Hybrid with Arctium nemorosum.

Etymology –
The term Arctium comes from the Greek ἄρκτιον árction lappola, a plant cited by Dioscorides and other authors.
The specific epithet tomento sum comes from toméntum peluria: covered with hair.

Geographical Distribution and Habitat –
Woolly Burdock is a temperate Eurasian – Eurosiberian plant.
In Italy it is a rare plant and is found in the North where it is distributed mainly in the Alps in a discontinuous way. Oltreconfine (always in the Alps) is located in France (departments of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, Isère and Haute-Savoie), in Switzerland (almost in all cantons), in Austria and in Slovenia. On the European mountain reliefs it is found in the Black Forest, Vosges, Jura Massif, Central Massif, Balkan Mountains and Carpathians. It is present in the rest of Europe and is considered as a species introduced in North America.
Its habitat is that of ruderal areas, uncultivated areas, hedges and areas along the roads, in preferably humid environments, where it grows on a preferably calcareous but also calcareous – siliceous substrate with basic pH values, high nutritional values ​​of the soil which must be on average wet. Its altitude distribution is between 100 and 1500 m a.s.l.

Description –
Woolly Burdock is a plant that normally grows between 50 and 120 cm although it can reach heights of up to 250 cm.
It is a biennial development cycle plant, since only the leaves are formed in the first year and the flowers in the second; reproduction occurs through gems placed at ground level. In some conditions, the biological cycle can also be annual.
The root is of the taproot type.
The epigean stem is erect, pubescent, branched and often red and streaked.
The branches are patent and almost erect.
The leaves are generally whole, with an enlarged leaf and rounded at the apex; they have a rough consistency with edges that have coarse wavy teeth. They are hairless and green at the top; whitish and spidery or gray-tomentose below.
The basal leaves are petiolate with an oval-heart-shaped lamina.
Those caulines have disposition along the alternating caule; they are sessile and the shape of the lamina is lanceolate.
The leaves vary in width between 16 and 28 cm and length between 30 and 40 cm.
The length of the stalk varies between 10 and 15 cm.
The stalk, especially in the upper part, is filled with marrow.
The flowers are all tubular, hermaphrodite, actinoform, tetra-cyclic (with four verticils: calyx – corolla – androceous – gynaeceum) and pentamers (with calyx and corolla made up of five elements).
The antesis is between July and September.
The flowers are gathered in inflorescences made up of several spherical flower heads gathered in corymbs. In the flower heads, a peduncle holds an envelope composed of several lesiniform, green and sub-hairless bracts (or scales) arranged on several series which protect the more or less flat receptacle on which the tubular flowers are inserted (from 30 to over) . The scales are persistent and of different sizes and in any case inferior to the flowers; the edges are finely serrated; the apex of the external ones is hooked, while in the internal ones the apex is straight; all are densely spidery and red.
The peduncles have a length of 1.5 – 12 cm, the flower heads have a diameter of 2 – 2.5 cm and the casings of 15 – 25 mm.
The fruits are 5 – 8 mm achenes, dark in color. The pappus has a crown of short bristles that are 1 – 3 mm long.

Cultivation –
Arctium tomentosum is a plant that grows spontaneously even where it was introduced.
The plant reproduces by entomogamous pollination, by day and night butterflies.
After fertilization the seeds, falling on the ground, are dispersed mainly by ants-like insects (myrmecoria dissemination).
There is also dispersion by zoocoria. In fact, the hooks of the bracts of the envelope attach themselves to the hair of passing animals thus dispersing the seeds of the plant even over long distances.

Uses and Traditions –
Woolly Burdock is a plant that can occur, as mentioned, with some hybrids that can make the determination more complex. In addition, some species are somewhat similar which for the less experienced complicates things.
Similar species include:
– Arctium lappa L. – Greater Burdock: it is larger and more vigorous than the minor Burdock (the flower heads have a size of 3 – 4 cm); moreover, the leaves are wider and the upper branches have a corimbosa configuration.
– Arctium minus (Hill) Bernh. – Lesser burdock: it is less large and less vigorous than the greater Burdock (the flower heads have a size of 1-2 millimeters). In addition, the leaves are narrower
– Arctium nemorosum Lej. et Court. – Wild burdock: it differs by the different branching which gives the plant a pyramidal aspect and by the differently colored involucral scales (red and yellowish on the hooks); the flower heads have a size of 3 – 4 cm.
The Woolly Burdock, like other burdocks, is used in herbal medicine and herbal medicine to fight acne, furunculosis, oily skin, psoriasis, alopecia, liver and biliary tract infections.
Traditional medicine recognizes burdock with a diuretic property and also an effective blood cleansing function.
Although the whole plant is edible, the active ingredients contained in its long and fleshy root are generally exploited, very similar to a potato (potato of the Middle Ages). The use of burdock roots, such as dried leaves and stems, is recommended in the treatment of the skin in the form of decoctions, extracts and compresses useful for fighting acne, furunculosis and oily skin.
The roots are used in herbal medicine for the preparation of purifying herbal teas for internal use or compresses for external use.
The roots after the harvest, which takes place in the autumn of the first year or in the spring of the second, are dried and stored in paper bags.

Method of Preparation –
Infusions can be prepared with the burdock.
The infusion is prepared with 1 liter of water and 8 tablespoons of Burdock root (pieces).
For this preparation, the Burdock root must be put in hot water, leaving it to infuse for ten minutes in the covered pot.
Practice the compresses 3-4 times a day.
The Burdock infusion pack held on the skin for about 10 minutes helps fight acne, eczema, oily skin, psoriasis and alopecia.
In external applications, compresses or frictions with burdock root oil are recommended against alopecia.

Guido Bissanti

Sources
– Acta Plantarum – Flora of the Italian Regions.
– Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
– Treben M., 2000. Health from the Lord’s Pharmacy, Tips and experiences with medicinal herbs, Ennsthaler Editore
– Pignatti S., 1982. Flora of Italy, Edagricole, Bologna.
– Conti F., Abbate G., Alessandrini A., Blasi C. (edited by), 2005. An annotated checklist of the Italian vascular flora, Palombi Editore.

Warning: Pharmaceutical applications and alimurgical uses are indicated for information purposes only, they do not in any way represent a medical prescription; therefore, no responsibility is accepted for their use for healing, aesthetic or food purposes.