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Devil's Beggarticks, Tall Beggarticks

Bidens frondosa L.

Asteraceae (Aster Family)

 

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Bidens frondosa L., Devil’s Beggarticks: (Bayer Code:  BIDFR; US Code BIFR)

·         Native summer annual that grows 1-5 feet tall and has squarish stem

·         Has opposite, deeply pinnately-lobed leaves with 3-7 lanceolate lobes with serrate margins

·         Flower heads usually lack ray flowers and has 20-100 yellow disk flowers

·         Seed is short and fat with 2-3 barbs attached to tip that let it attach to passing animals

·         Commonly found in rich, moist soils, disturbed sites, roadsides, not in cultivated fields

·         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   Swamp Beggarticks (Bidens tripartita) has simple lanceolate leaves with toothed margins, sometimes with 3 deep lobes; flowers lack ray flowers; it often grows in wet soils near ponds, lakes, rivers

 

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Updated 19 January 2019