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Swamp Beggarticks

Bidens tripartita L.

Asteraceae (Sunflower Family)

▲ mature plant

▲▼ inflorescence going to fruit

Bidens tripartita L., Devil’s Beggarticks: (Bayer Code:  BIDTR; US Code BITR)

·         Native summer annual that grows 1-3 feet tall and has a green, hairless stem

·         Has opposite simple lanceolate leaves with toothed margins, although some leaves may be deeply three-lobed

·         Flower heads usually lack ray flowers and has 20-40 yellow disk flowers

·         Seed is elongated triangular with 2 barbs attached to tip that let it attach to passing animals

·         Commonly found in wet soils, along ponds, rivers, streams, lakes

·         Some similar species:

       o   Spanish Needles (Bidens bipinnata) has finely-divided (bipinnately compound) leaves, 1-5 very short (0.25 inch) ray flowers (petals) per head and long, slender, needle-like seeds with burs at their tip

       o   Nodding Beggarticks (Bidens cernua) has simple lanceolate leaves with toothed, lanceolate leaflets, 6-8 ray showy flowers (petals) per head and burs and seeds similar to devil’s beggarticks

       o   Tickseed Beggarticks (Bidens aristosa) has pinnately compound leaves with toothed, lanceolate leaflets (leaflets often more narrow than devils beggarticks) and 6-8 showy ray flowers (petals) per head and triangular, 2-burred seeds

       o   Devil’s Beggarticks (Bidens frondosa) has pinnately-compound leaves with toothed, lanceolate leaflets, flowers lack ray flowers and the burs are short and attached to a triangular seed

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Posted 19 January 2019