BURDOCK
(To the Agricultural Editor.) Sir, —In regard to your most timely warning of the weed Burdock, there are one or .two points which might make the picture of the plant clearer to those who wish to identify it. It is a tall bushy plant with large heartshaped leaves; but these are smooth and not toothed or spiky as are those of the thistle. The flowers, however, are very similar to thistle-heads. The Burdock has a long flowering season. Each flower-head is surrounded by a close involucre of spiny bracts, which after fertilisation, become brown, tough, and hooked, collectively forming a bur. This then very soon becomes loose enough to be easily removed by contact with a browsing animal paising sufficiently close. The hooked bracts then cling tenaciously to the coat of the* animal, and the whole head is easily torn off the plant. Thus the seed is dispersed far and wide.—Yours, etc. TRUTHSEEKER. Christchurch. July 1, 1945.
Permanent link to this item
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19450721.2.19.4
Bibliographic details
Press, Volume LXXXI, Issue 24624, 21 July 1945, Page 3
Word Count
158BURDOCK Press, Volume LXXXI, Issue 24624, 21 July 1945, Page 3
Using This Item
Stuff Ltd is the copyright owner for the Press. You can reproduce in-copyright material from this newspaper for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0 New Zealand licence. This newspaper is not available for commercial use without the consent of Stuff Ltd. For advice on reproduction of out-of-copyright material from this newspaper, please refer to the Copyright guide.
Acknowledgements
This newspaper was digitised in partnership with Christchurch City Libraries.