Here’s a plant most of us ignore until its seeds follow us home.
The flowers of Beggar Ticks (Bidens frondosa) are rather inconspicuous but each of its numerous seeds has two tiny hooks that cling to fabric and fur.
I bet you recognize the seeds on this sweater…
…which explains why another name for the plant is “Sticktight.”
(photos from Wikipedia)
Boy what a memory jogger. Growing up in rural areas & returning to school at this time of year I never took the roads but rather the meadow byways to get to my busstops & by the time I would get to school they would be all over my clothes. Such a warm memory on such a beautiful day as this.i
I know those things! I have heard the term hitchhikers, but as a kid, I called them pitchforks. I hated having to sit and pull them all out before I could put my clothes in the laundry.
cool. i just noticed this plant in my yard and was wondering what it was. i like its low-key, wild look.
You are right! The plants ARE inconspicuous till the seeds are ripe!
After walking the dog, sticktights and numerous other sticktight seed-types need to be removed from clothing. It is amazing how many kinds there are!
Wow… I never knew these were seeds. Now I do and will use the correct name because growing up we called them “jaggers”… guess you know where I grew up!
🙂
Oh that is what those picky things are that always stick to my clothes when I am in the field. I know that many hours of mine have been spent plucking them off pants, stocking etc. Thanks for enlightening me — barbara
I’m guessing the function is to disperse the seeds and propagate the species, like every other adaptation. My question is how effective it is, when they stick so tightly to fabric and fur, that they have to be pulled out (and trashed) by hand?
Anne
Well, that brings back a funny memory! A few years ago, we had a nice southwestern-style blanket accidentally dragged through those things. I never managed to get them all out, so I just used it for a pool blanket. Well, last summer I hung it on the back porch to dry — and it was STOLEN! I figured the thief can’t very well use it at the pool (because I’d recognize it!), so they’d have to keep it inside. And I just get a good laugh picturing the blanket poacher getting scratched up by those stubborn sticktights!
Hello, my King Charles Cavalier Spaniel got into a big mess with these pitchfork seeds. They’re on his legs, chest and belly. Are picking these seeds off the only way I can get them off my dog?? Looking forward to your response.
I suppose you could cut the dog’s hair or shave it off. Personally, I’d pick them off by hand.
I just came from the garden covered with these. I have also been cleaning the dogs each night. We always called them Prairie Lice. good to know the real name. I have many of them that grew in the garden. I hope to burn the patch.