BIDENS FRONDOSA Meaning and
Definition
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Bidens frondosa is a plant species in the Asteraceae family native to North America. Commonly known as beggar's ticks or devil's beggarticks, it is a herbaceous annual or biennial weed that can grow to heights of up to 1-2 meters.
The plant has a slender, branching stem with deeply divided, alternate leaves. These leaves are pinnately compound, consisting of three to five elongated, toothed leaflets. The toothed edges of the leaves give rise to its common name "frondosa," meaning leafy or full of foliage.
Bidens frondosa produces small, bright yellow flowers that bloom from summer to early fall. The flowers are arranged in dense clusters at the tips of the stems and have a distinctive shape resembling a tick. Each flower is composed of disk florets surrounded by several long, slender ray florets. The ray florets may be absent in some varieties.
After flowering, the plant forms small fruits known as achenes. These achenes are elongated, flat seeds with rough bristles or barbs that enable them to easily stick to clothing or animal fur, aiding in their dispersal.
Bidens frondosa is considered a weed in many areas due to its ability to quickly colonize disturbed soils. It is often found in waste areas, along roadsides, and in damp or marshy locations. While the plant has limited medicinal uses in traditional herbal medicine, it is primarily regarded as a nuisance plant due to its high seed production and ability to compete with cultivated crops.
Etymology of BIDENS FRONDOSA
The word Bidens frondosa has a Latin origin.
The genus name Bidens comes from the Latin word bi meaning two and dens meaning tooth. This refers to the two-pronged barbs or teeth found on the seeds of plants in this genus, which enable them to attach to fur, feathers, or other surfaces for dispersal.
The species name frondosa also has Latin roots, derived from the word frons meaning foliage or leafy. Therefore, Bidens frondosa can be translated to mean two-toothed plant with foliage or leafy plant with two teeth.
