Bidens pilosa L.

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Photo: Bart Wursten
Umunthu Camp, Mzuzu

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Synonyms:
Common names:	Black-jack (English)
Frequency:
Status:
Description:	Annual herb to 1.5 (-2.2) m. Leaves petiolate, (1-)3-foliolate, glabrous or pilose. Terminal leaflet up to 9 × 5 cm, narrowly ovate to ovate-oblong; base cuneate; apex acuminate; margin ciliate, crenate or serrate-crenate; lateral leaflets smaller, asymmetric. Inflorescence laxly corymbose. Capitula up to 1 cm in diameter. Rays 0 (var. pilosa) or creamy-white, 4-7 and up to 1.5 cm, exceeding (var. radiata Sch.Bip.) or not exceeding (var. minor Blume) the phyllaries. Achenes up to 1.6 cm, blackish. Bristles 2-3, retrorsely barbed.
Notes:
Derivation of specific name:	pilosa: pilose, with long soft hairs
Habitat:
Altitude range:
Flowering time:	Sep - May
Worldwide distribution:	Probably originally South American, but very widely naturalised throughout the tropics and subtropics.
Malawi distribution:
Growth form(s):
Endemic status:
Red data list status:
Insects associated with this species:	Gracilodes caffra (Larval foodplant)
Spot characters:	Display spot characters for this species
Content last updated:	Saturday 30 September 2023
Literature:	Baumann, G. (2005). Photographic Guide to Wildflowers of Malawi Wildlife and Environmental Society of Malawi Pages 164 - 165. (Includes a picture). Beentje, H.J. & Ghazanfar, S.A. (eds.) (2005). Compositae (Part 3) Flora of Tropical East Africa Pages 806 - 807. Burrows, J.E. & Willis, C.K. (eds) (2005). Plants of the Nyika Plateau Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 31 SABONET, Pretoria Page 84. Chapano, C. & Mamuto, M. (2003). Plants of the Chimanimani District National Herbarium and Botanic Garden, Zimbabwe Page 9. Chapano, C. & Mugarisanwa, N.H. (2003). Plants of the Matobo District National Herbarium and Botanic Garden, Zimbabwe Page 6. Da Silva, M.C., Izidine, S. & Amude, A.B. (2004). A preliminary checklist of the vascular plants of Mozambique. Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 30 Sabonet, Pretoria Page 146. Heath, A. & Heath, R. (2009). Field Guide to the Plants of Northern Botswana including the Okavango Delta Kew Publishing Page 205. (Includes a picture). Kirby, G. (2013). Wild Flowers of Southeast Botswana Struik Nature, Cape Town South Africa Page 132. (Includes a picture). Mapaura, A. & Timberlake, J. (eds) (2004). A checklist of Zimbabwean vascular plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 33 Sabonet, Pretoria and Harare Page 23. Phiri, P.S.M. (2005). A Checklist of Zambian Vascular Plants Southern African Botanical Diversity Network Report No. 32 Page 28. Pickering, H. & Roe, E. (2009). Wild Flowers of the Victoria Falls Area Helen Pickering, London Page 33. (Includes a picture). Setshogo, M.P. (2005). Preliminary checklist of the plants of Botswana. Sabonet Report no. 37. Sabonet, Pretoria and Gaborone Page 31. Strugnell, A.M. (2006). A Checklist of the Spermatophytes of Mount Mulanje, Malawi Scripta Botanica Belgica 34 National Botanic Garden of Belgium Page 51. Timberlake, J.R. & Childes, S.L. (2004). Biodiversity of the Four Corners Area: Technical Reviews Volume Two (Chapter 5-15) Appendix 5-1: Plant Checklist Occasional Publications in Biodiversity 15 Page 198. Wild, H. (1955). Common Rhodesian Weeds Government of Rhodesia, Salisbury Page 64. (Includes a picture). Wild, H. (1967). The Compositae of the Flora Zambesiaca area. 1. Heliantheae. Kirkia 6(1) Pages 24 - 25. Wursten, B., Timberlake, J. & Darbyshire, I. (2017). The Chimanimani Mountains: an updated checklist. Kirkia 19(1) Page 88.

Other sources of information about Bidens pilosa:

Our websites:

Flora of Botswana: Bidens pilosa
Flora of Burundi: Bidens pilosa
Flora of Caprivi: Bidens pilosa
Flora of the DRC: Bidens pilosa
Flora of Mozambique: Bidens pilosa
Flora of Rwanda: Bidens pilosa
Flora of Zambia: Bidens pilosa
Flora of Zimbabwe: Bidens pilosa

External websites:

African Plants: A Photo Guide (Senckenberg): Bidens pilosa
African Plant Database: Bidens pilosa
BHL (Biodiversity Heritage Library): Bidens pilosa
EOL (Encyclopedia of Life): Bidens pilosa
GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility): Bidens pilosa
Google: Web - Images - Scholar
iNaturalist: Bidens pilosa
IPNI (International Plant Names Index): Bidens pilosa
JSTOR Plant Science: Bidens pilosa
Mansfeld World Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Crops: Bidens pilosa
Plants of the World Online: Bidens pilosa
Tropicos: Bidens pilosa
Wikipedia: Bidens pilosa