Bidens spp.

Illustrations: USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / USDA NRCS. Wetland flora: Field office illustrated guide to plant species. USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. An illustrated flora of the northern United States, Canada and the British Possessions. 3 vols. Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York. Vol. 3: 495.

What is Bur Marigold?

Physical Characteristics

Leaves:

Opposite
Toothed edge
Upper leaves sometimes alternate

Flowers:

Surrounded by whorl of bracts
Receptacle flat or slightly bulging out
Yellow in color
Usually 5-toothed

Fruit:

One seeded
Does not open to release seed when ripe
Triangular

Roots:

Long, thick root
Fibrous

Where Does it Grow?

USDA, NRCS. 2018. The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov). National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC 27401-4901 USA.

Bur Marigold can be found in lakes, streams, marshes, and irrigation ditches.

Pros and Cons of Bur Marigold

Submerged portions of all aquatic plants provide habitats for many micro and macro invertebrates. These invertebrates in turn are used as food by fish and other wildlife species (e.g. amphibians, reptiles, ducks, etc.). After aquatic plants die, their decomposition by bacteria and fungi provides food (called “detritus”) for many aquatic invertebrates.