Burdock Burrs

Did you know that the burdock plant was the inspiration for the hook and loop fastener?

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VELCRO® Brand UK

a green plant with purple flowers in front of a building on the side of a hill

Burdock burrs were the inspiration for the hook and loop fastener - and here is the burdock plant growing in the wild at Rye Harbour Nature Reserve!

two pictures with different shapes and sizes of candy canes in the shape of swans

Ever heard of biomimicry? It's all about looking to nature for solutions to human problems and here it is in action! In 1941, George de Mestral got the inspiration for the hook and loop fastener (top) when burdock burrs (bottom) kept sticking to his dog's fur. Upon closer investigation, he noticed that the burdock burr's seeds were covered in tiny 'hooks' that clung to the tiny 'loops' on fur and clothing and this gave him the inspiration for the first hook and loop fastener!

a pink and white photo with the words, the inspiration for the hook and loop fastener was the burdock plant

Hook And Loop Fasteners

Our Story - Velcro Companies History

Ever wondered how hook and loop fasteners were invented? When George de Mestral was walking his dog in the Alps in 1941, he noticed that burdock burrs kept sticking to his dog's fur - a tiny seed covered in hundreds of ‘hooks’ that naturally catch onto the microscopic loops that cover fur, hair and clothing. And after almost a decade spent investigating how the burdock plant stuck to fur, the hook and loop fastener was born! Find out more about the history of the VELCRO® Brand at velcro.co.uk.

a close up view of a flower with pink stips on it's petals

Thanks to Rye Harbour Nature Reserve for sharing this great zoomed in picture of a burdock plant! In 1941, burdock burrs gave George de Mestral the inspiration for the hook and loop fastener, which he commercialised under the VELCRO® Brand.

a pink flower with green leaves in the background

Great Photos

Knowing You

Did You Know

Thanks to Rye Harbour Nature Reserve for sharing this great photo of the burdock plant on Instagram. Did you know that burdock burrs were the inspiration for the hook and loop fastener?

three different pictures of flowers and plants in the same photo, one is purple with green leaves

Burdock - This is a biennial thistle which grows on roadsides and waste places. The flowers, which bloom from July to September, are rayless and surrounded by hooked bracts which form the 'burrs'. These last through winter, sowing the enclosed seeds very cleverly by attaching themselves to passing animals.It has lots of medicinal uses.

some very pretty looking plants in the grass with blue sky behind them and trees in the background

Does Your Horse Get Burdocks (Burrs) in His Eyes?

Burrs, or burdocks, can get lodged in a horse's eye

some pink flowers and green leaves on a sunny day

Permaculture Gardening

Burdock 'Takinogawa' - (Arctium lappa)

some pink flowers and green leaves in the grass

Arctium lappa majus major Fox's Clote Thorny Burr Beggar's Buttons Cockle Buttons Love Leaves Philanthropium Personata Happy Major Clot-Bur Gobo Bardane Niu Bang Wu Shih Gypsy Rhubarb Burr Greater burdock Kiss-me-quick Clite Arcion majus Arcion tomentosum glabra Care Plant Varieties & Pruning Advice

Summer flowering bee friendly plant Click image to learn more & add to your own plants list Arctium lappa, Burdock, Arctium majus, Lappa major, Lappa, Fox's Clote, Thorny Burr, Beggar's Buttons, Cockle Buttons, Love Leaves, Philanthropium, Personata, Happy Major, Clot-Bur, Gobo, Bardane, Niu Bang, Wu Shih, Gypsy Rhubarb, Burr A. lappa is an upright, perennial herb with large, heart-shaped, wavy-margined, dull green leaves and round heads of thistle-enclosed, purple flowers in summer and autumn.

some purple flowers and green leaves in the woods

Medicinal Herbs Garden

Biennial Plants

Herbs Garden

Burdock Root

Burdock

Burdock is a multi faceted gift. Great for food and amazing medicine and helpful in various crafty ways.