BURDOCK

(Arctium Lappa), a species of plants belonging to the natural order Compositse. It has a branched stem, about 8 feet high, bearing many large, heart-shaped, wavy, coarse leaves, and flower heads, which, when ripe, become so hard and hooked, that they will stick to the hair or clothes, and are known by the name of burs. The whole plant is covered with a clammy, bitter substance, from which circumstance it was called, in old English, the dotbtur, that is, the clothed bur. The root, which is fleshy and tap-shaped, is sometimes used as a diuretic. It is said also to be sudorific and aphrodisiac. As it grows only in deep, rich soils, its prevalence may be regarded as an indication of good land.