Beggarstick / Pitchfork

Family: Asteraceae (Compositae) (Sunflower Family)

Genus: Bidens | Species: frondosa

Description: This annual usually grows from 1 to 3 feet tall and may produce branches, giving it a bushy appearance. The leaves are divided into three to five parts. Leaf color is medium to dark green, sometimes with purple veins. The leaf margins are slightly serrated. The flowers are greenish to dull yellow or brown, without showy petals. The seeds, as everyone knows, have two tooth-like projections that easily get caught in the clothing of those who walk among them or in the fur of cats and dogs.  The plant is generally not a serious cranberry weed, growing mainly in bare spots.  They are not thought to be very capable of invading areas where the cranberry vines are healthy. [annual]

Habitat: wet, barren areas;

In Bloom: July – August