"Common Burdock: Arctium minus
Weed Description: A biennial that produces a rosette of very large leaves in the first year and a branched stem with many burs during the second year. Found across the upper half of the United States and is most commonly found as a weed of pastures, hay fields, and fence rows. "
From Virginia Tech's weed index: http://www.ppws.vt.edu/scott/weed_id/leftside.htm
Burdock makes green paper. I cooked the entire plant, stem, root, and leaves, where I could pull up the whole thing. Some of the gather was huge leaves, others were more mature, like little flower shrubs.
The pulp was very green, think spinach blended, resembling dandelion pulp but more fibrous. The green didn't wash away.
I cooked a steel pot full 3 to 4 hours with washing soda. I let it cool overnight, rinsed repeatedly and left it to soak for another day. I then blendered it. The pulp was easily couchable ,unlike dandelion, and so is drying on felts (note: I often use CMC and formation aid in my weed vats).
The paper sheets I ironed (just for this report back) came out a dark spring green. They are crisp.
Thanks for urging me to try it, Gin!
I'm enamored of a new plant site if you want pictures of the plant and information on its habitat try:http://plants.usda.gov/)
Kingdom Plantae -- Plantsi'm following Gin's example (plant documenter extraordinare, access her journal here).Subkingdom Tracheobionta -- Vascular plantsSuperdivision Spermatophyta -- Seed plantsDivision Magnoliophyta -- Flowering plantsClass Magnoliopsida -- DicotyledonsSubclass AsteridaeOrder AsteralesFamily Asteraceae -- Aster familyGenus Arctium L. -- burrdock PSpecies Arctium minus Bernh. -- lesser burrdock
Thanks to her and the papermaking list folks for reawakening me to the possibilities right outside my door.
Pulp on, people!
Birdhouse 1 2002, handmade paper, Akua Lezli Hope