Hairy beggarticks (Bidens pilosa)

Ketul or hairy beggarticks (Bidens pilosa) is a species of plant in the Asteraceae, herbaceous erect, branched, up to 1 meter high, stems rectangular, glabrous or hairy, often reddish in color, growing in forests, agricultural land and roadsides.

B. pilosa has leaves sitting opposite, whole or pinnately sharing in 2-3 items and stalks up to 6.5 cm long. The leaves are oval, elongated, pointed tip, 1-12 cm long, 0.5-5.5 cm wide, serrated edges, glabrous or slightly hairy.

The inflorescences are in lobes that gather at the terminal or in the leaf axils. The hump is 5-7 mm long, 7-8 mm in diameter, contains 20-40 clustered flowers and stalks up to 9 cm long.

Peripheral flowers are 5-7 items, short tubed crown and broad oblong or elliptical tongue, 5-8 mm long and yellow or creamy white. The crown is a tubular disc, 5 pinnate and yellow in color.

Fruit hard, slender elongated, 0.5-1.3 cm, dark brown when ripe with 2-3 needle-like hooks and prickly at the end. The fruit is attached to the hair or body of an animal for dispersal.

Hairy beggarticks like moist soil and full sun at elevations up to 2300 meters. Flowering throughout the year and within a week producing fruit with 35-60% of seeds will germinate. Seeds stored for 3-5 years can still germinate 80%.

The leaves are used in traditional medicine to treat coughs, angina, headaches, fever, diabetes, constipation, diarrhea, intestinal worms, stomach pain, toothache, poisoning, aches, itching and rheumatic pain.

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Subphylum: Angiospermae
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Subfamily: Asteroideae
Tribe: Coreopsideae
Genus: Bidens
Species: Bidens pilosa
Variety: Bidens pilosa var. minor, Bidens pilosa var. pilosa

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