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Spanish needles beggar-ticks
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Our ace botanists are here to help you identify wild New England plants and to answer questions about their ecology and conservation. When posting a question, please provide the location, habitat (e.g. river, mountain, woodland), and photographs of the plant.
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Recently answered questions
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- Question
- I was out walking in a beautiful preserve today, the Hirundo refuge in Old Town. The Pushaw stream runs through it. I stopped by the water's edge ... and saw a plant I don't recognize growing right at the edge among some rocks. When I tried to grab a leaf to photograph it, the entire little plant came up in my hands. So I got a pic of the whole plant before reseating it back in its place. Can you help with ID please?
- Answer
- Dear Debbie, good afternoon. You may have Cicuta maculata (spotted water-hemlock), a small individual with unusual leaf morphology. When I look at the veins of the leaf segments, they are directed to the sinuses (not the tips of the teeth), suggesting it may be this plant. Best wishes. (Thursday, 6 October 2022)
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- Question
- Hello, I am trying to determine the identity of this beggar's ticks. I can't decide beween B. frondosa and B vulgata, but am leaning toward the Devil's beggar's ticks because of the deep yellow-orange pigmentation at the apex of the corolla. Could that be it, or might it be something else? Thanks!
- Answer
- Dear sldz22, good morning again! Yes, I agree that you have Bidens frondosa. The number of involucral bracts and corolla morphology (that you noted) all support this determination. (Wednesday, 5 October 2022)
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- Question
- Would like identification of this fern growing on a boulder by a brook. Thanks!!!
- Answer
- Dear donwturner@hotmail.com, good morning. You have photographed a species of Polypodium (polypody). These are native ferns that typically occur as epipetric populations (i.e., growing on rock). There are two species found in New England, but I would need more images (and closer up images) to be able to assist you with exactly who you photographed. (Wednesday, 5 October 2022)
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