Bidens micrantha
Encyclopedia
Bidens micrantha is a species of flowering plant in the aster family
known by the common name grassland beggarticks. It is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands
, where it and other Bidens
species are known as kōokoolau. It occurs in many types of habitat on Lānai
, Maui
, and Hawaii
, including rocky cliffs, dry forests
, mesic forests, wet forests, and high shrublands
.
There are three subspecies.
While B. m. ssp. micrantha is considered secure, B. m. ssp. ctenophylla is uncommon and vulnerable and
B. m. ssp. kalealaha is rare and federally listed
as an endangered species
.
This is a shrub
forming clumps of herbage up to several feet tall. It bears plentiful flower heads
with yellow ray florets. It is grown as an ornamental plant
and groundcover
in Hawaii.
This species was used to make leis
and was brewed into tea
.
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...
known by the common name grassland beggarticks. It is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands
Hawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...
, where it and other Bidens
Bidens
Bidens is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. It contains about 200 species. The common names beggarticks, black jack, bur-marigolds, stickseeds, tickseeds and tickseed sunflowers refer to the achene burrs on the seeds of this genus, most of which are barbed...
species are known as kōokoolau. It occurs in many types of habitat on Lānai
Lanai
Lānai or Lanai is the sixth-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is also known as the Pineapple Island because of its past as an island-wide pineapple plantation. The only town is Lānai City, a small settlement....
, Maui
Maui
The island of Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is part of the state of Hawaii and is the largest of Maui County's four islands, bigger than Lānai, Kahoolawe, and Molokai. In 2010, Maui had a population of 144,444,...
, and Hawaii
Hawaii (island)
The Island of Hawaii, also called the Big Island or Hawaii Island , is a volcanic island in the North Pacific Ocean...
, including rocky cliffs, dry forests
Hawaiian tropical dry forests
The Hawaiian tropical dry forests are a tropical dry broadleaf forest ecoregion in the Hawaiian Islands. They cover an area of on the leeward side of the main islands and the summits of Niihau and Kahoolawe. These forests are either seasonal or sclerophyllous. Annual rainfall is less than and...
, mesic forests, wet forests, and high shrublands
Hawaiian tropical high shrublands
The Hawaiian tropical high shrublands are a tropical savanna ecoregion in the Hawaiian Islands. They cover an area of on the upper slopes of the volcanoes Mauna Kea, Mauna Loa, Hualālai, and Haleakalā. It includes open shrublands, grasslands, and deserts...
.
There are three subspecies.
- B. m. ssp. micrantha (Maui)
- B. m. ssp. ctenophylla (Sherff) Ganders & Nagata (leeward HualālaiHualalaiHualālai is a dormant shield volcano on the island of Hawaii in the Hawaiian Islands. It is the third-youngest and the third most active of the five volcanoes that form the island of Hawaii, following Kīlauea and the much larger Mauna Loa, and also the westernmost. Its peak is above sea...
on Hawaii) - B. m. ssp. kalealaha Ganders & Nagata (Lānai and West Maui)
While B. m. ssp. micrantha is considered secure, B. m. ssp. ctenophylla is uncommon and vulnerable and
B. m. ssp. kalealaha is rare and federally listed
Endangered Species Act
The Endangered Species Act of 1973 is one of the dozens of United States environmental laws passed in the 1970s. Signed into law by President Richard Nixon on December 28, 1973, it was designed to protect critically imperiled species from extinction as a "consequence of economic growth and...
as an endangered species
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
.
This is a shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
forming clumps of herbage up to several feet tall. It bears plentiful flower heads
Head (botany)
The capitulum is considered the most derived form of inflorescence. Flower heads found outside Asteraceae show lesser degrees of specialization....
with yellow ray florets. It is grown as an ornamental plant
Ornamental plant
Ornamental plants are plants that are grown for decorative purposes in gardens and landscape design projects, as house plants, for cut flowers and specimen display...
and groundcover
Groundcover
Groundcover refers to any plant that grows over an area of ground, used to provide protection from erosion and drought, and to improve its aesthetic appearance .- Ecosystem :...
in Hawaii.
This species was used to make leis
Lei (Hawaii)
Lei is a Hawaiian word for a garland or wreath. More loosely defined, a lei is any series of objects strung together with the intent to be worn. The most popular concept of a lei in Hawaiian culture is a wreath of flowers draped around the neck presented upon arriving or leaving as a symbol of...
and was brewed into tea
Tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...
.