Wild-Flower Study 



569 



LESSON CXLI 



The Burdock 



Leading thought — The burdock wins because its great leaves shade 

 down plants in its vicinity, and also by having taproots. It scatters its 

 seed by hooking its seed-heads fast to the passer-by. 



Method — Study a healthy 

 ""'^ burdock plant in the field, to 

 show how it shades down other 

 plants and does not shade itself. 

 The flowers and the seed-heads 

 may be brought into the school- 

 room for detailed study. 



Observations — i. Note a 

 young plant. How much space 

 does its leaves cover? Is any- 

 thing growing beneath them? 

 How are its leaves arranged to 

 cover so much space? Of what 

 advantage is this to the plant? 



2. Study the full-grown 

 plant. How are the lower leaves 

 arranged? At what angles to 

 the stalks do the petioles lie? 

 Are the upper leaves as large as 

 the lower ones? Do they stand 

 at different angles to the stalk? 



3. Study the arrangement of 

 leaves on a burdock plant, to 

 discover how it manages to shade 

 down other plants with its leaves 



and yet does not let its own upper leaves shade those below. 



4. Study a lower and an upper leaf. What is the general shape? 

 What peculiarity where it joins the petiole? What is the texture of the 

 leaf above and below? The color? Describe the petiole and how it joins 

 the stem. 



5. Where do the flowers appear on the stem? Are there many flow- 

 ers developed? Count all the flower-heads on a thrifty burdock. 



6. The burdock has its flowers gathered into families, like the sun- 

 flower and thistle. Describe the burdock flower-family according to 

 Lesson CXXXV. 



7. What insects visit the burdock flowers? Can you make baskets 

 from the flower-heads? 



8. Study the burdock again in winter, and see what has happened to 

 it. Describe the seed and the seed-heads. How are the seed-heads 

 carried far away from the parent plant? How many seeds in a single 

 "house?" How do they escape? 



9. Write the biography of a burdock plant which came to America as 

 a seed, attached to the tail of a Shetland pony. 



Burdock blossoming. 



