Die bis zu 1,5 m hoch wachsende Große Klette besitzt einen wollig behaarten, aufrechten Stängel. Die roten Blüten sitzen in lockeren Trugdolden und bilden borstige Früchte, die bei Reife vom Stiel fallen. Greater Burdock is rather tall, reaching as much as 2 metres. It has large, alternating, cordiform leaves that have a long petiole and are pubescent on the underside.
The flowers are purple and grouped in globular capitula, united in clusters. They appear in mid-summer. The capitula are surrounded by an involucre made out of many bracts, each curving to form a hook, allowing them to be carried long distances on the fur of animals. The fruits are achenes; they are long, compressed, with short pappuses. Greater burdock was used during the Middle Ages as a vegetable, but now it is rarely used, with the exception of Japan. Immature flower stalks may also be harvested in late spring, before flowers appear. The taste resembles that of artichoke, to which the burdock is related. In the second half of the 20th century, burdock achieved international recognition for its culinary use due to the increasing popularity of the macrobiotic diet, which advocates its consumption.
