Native Plants
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Ask Mr. Smarty Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
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Sunday - September 16, 2012
From: Portland, OR
Region: Northwest
Topic: Herbs/Forbs
Title: Nativity of Bidens frondosa from Portland OR
Answered by: Barbara Medford
QUESTION:
Is Bidens frondosa (Beggar's Tick) native to North America or is it introduced? If introduced, is it considered invasive?ANSWER:
According to his USDA Plant Profile Map, Bidens frondosa (Devil's beggartick) is indeed native to North America, and to Multnomah County OR.
As to its invasiveness, here are comments we found on it:
From Illinois Wildflowers: "This plant is easy to grow, and can become a weedy pest."
FromWikibooks: "The sticky seeds make this plant a nuisance for pet and livestock owners, and it is generally seen as a weed."
Summary: Bidens frondosa (Devil's beggartick) is native to North America; we found no reference to its being invasive but it was widely described as a weed. You must draw your own conlusions on that.
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