Question: A patch of this was growing on the muddy bottom of a dried up pond in the Blue Hills south …
-
Question
A patch of this was growing on the muddy bottom of a dried up pond in the Blue Hills south of Boston. The plants were taller on ground that had been above water for longer. I only saw one open flower. Is it Bidens frondosa? At under 1 meter it's much shorter than the plants I see at home (1.5-2.5 m).
Answer
Dear jfc, the plant in the image is Bidens frondosa (Devil's beggar-ticks). This is a native member of this genus with pinnately compound leaves, typically lacking ray flowers, and with usually 5-10 foliaceous involucral bracts surrounding the disk flowers. Best wishes.
