Question: I grabbed a sample of Bidens from a narrow alluvial flat, just upstream from the Florida Rd Bridge over the …
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Question
I grabbed a sample of Bidens from a narrow alluvial flat, just upstream from the Florida Rd Bridge over the Assebett in Maynard. It appears have the characteristics B. eatonii, but the non-estuarine habitat seems wrong. It's tucked in at the bottom of the Pontederia image. Is my ID likely?
Answer
Dear wlgeek, good morning. It is most likely you have photographed Bidens connata (purple-stemmed beggars-ticks). The cypselas are not as flat as they would be in Bidens eatonii and lack the longitudinal striations normally found in that plant. Bidens connata usually has a compressed-rhombic fruit (in cross-section), so this causes confusion in the identification keys. Best wishes.
