Arctium lappa , commonly called greater burdock,[2] gobō (牛蒡/ゴボウ),[2] edible burdock,[2] lappa,[2] beggar's buttons,[2] thorny burr, or happy major[3] is a Eurasian species of plants in the family Asteraceae, cultivated in gardens for its root used as a vegetable. It has become an invasive weed of high-nitrogen soils in North America, Australia, and other regions.[4][5][6][7]