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Bidens also known as Bur Marigolds, Beggar's Tick, Spanish Needle, Cobbler's Pegs |
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Bidens also known as Bur Marigolds, Beggar's Tick, Spanish Needle, Cobbler's Pegs |
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| An erect annual or perennial herb
with branching habit to about 1m high. Leaves are deeply divided into
three toothed lobes, with the terminal lobe larger than the other two.
Individual flowers are yellow but are tiny and held in dense terminal
clusters in a widely branching flowering head. Each flower cluster has
four or five short, broad, white ‘petals’ but these do not persist
for very long. The seeds are black, about 1cm long, with 2 or 3 barbed
awns at the tip. Beggar's tick is a prolific
ephermeral herb… It occurs as a major weed of vegetables and
other crops; it is common in pastures, plantations, along roadsides and
on wasteland throughout the region. It thrives best in full sun,
where the soil is relatively dry and infertile. It forms a dense
ground cover that prevents regeneration of other species.
Propagation is by Seeds, which are spread from clothing or animal’s fur or feathers. Also dispersed by water. Native range: Temperate and tropical America, but introduced early to the Pacific and parts of Asia. |
