bur marigold or sticktight, common name for any species of Bidens, a genus of chiefly weedy North American plants of the family Asteraceae (aster family) with two-pronged burlike fruits (achenes) that have gained various species such additional names as beggar-ticks, Spanish needles, tickseed, and bootjacks. A few showy yellow-flowered species are occasionally cultivated. Many of the common names are also used for other weeds with burs. Bur marigold is classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida, order Asterales, family Asteraceae.
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: Plants
