Bidens frondosa
Encyclopedia
Devil's Beggarticks is an annual herb
in the family Asteraceae
, native to North America
. It is known by a variety of different names, including Common Beggarticks, Common Tickseed, Large-leaved Beggarticks, Devil's Bootjack, Devil's Pitchfork, and Pitchfork Weed.
It is up to 2 m tall, usually with reddish stems. Its flowers are yellow, produced in early autumn, followed by numerous seeds with hooked barbs that attach onto passing animals' fur or clothing or sometimes even skin which allow the seeds to be dispersed widely. The seeds look similar to a tick
and give this plant part of its most popular common name.
in some parts of the world. In Europe it is considered "an important threat to plant health, the environment and biodiversity" and in New Zealand it is classed as an environmental weed by the Department of Conservation.
Herb
Except in botanical usage, an herb is "any plant with leaves, seeds, or flowers used for flavoring, food, medicine, or perfume" or "a part of such a plant as used in cooking"...
in the family Asteraceae
Asteraceae
The Asteraceae or Compositae , is an exceedingly large and widespread family of vascular plants. The group has more than 22,750 currently accepted species, spread across 1620 genera and 12 subfamilies...
, native to North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. It is known by a variety of different names, including Common Beggarticks, Common Tickseed, Large-leaved Beggarticks, Devil's Bootjack, Devil's Pitchfork, and Pitchfork Weed.
It is up to 2 m tall, usually with reddish stems. Its flowers are yellow, produced in early autumn, followed by numerous seeds with hooked barbs that attach onto passing animals' fur or clothing or sometimes even skin which allow the seeds to be dispersed widely. The seeds look similar to a tick
Tick
Ticks are small arachnids in the order Ixodida, along with mites, constitute the subclass Acarina. Ticks are ectoparasites , living by hematophagy on the blood of mammals, birds, and sometimes reptiles and amphibians...
and give this plant part of its most popular common name.
Invasive species
This plant is invasiveInvasive species
"Invasive species", or invasive exotics, is a nomenclature term and categorization phrase used for flora and fauna, and for specific restoration-preservation processes in native habitats, with several definitions....
in some parts of the world. In Europe it is considered "an important threat to plant health, the environment and biodiversity" and in New Zealand it is classed as an environmental weed by the Department of Conservation.