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biodiversity explorer

the web of life in southern Africa

Genus: Bidens (blackjacks)

Life > eukaryotes > Archaeoplastida > Chloroplastida > Charophyta > Streptophytina > Plantae (land plants) > Tracheophyta (vascular plants) > Euphyllophyta > Lignophyta (woody plants) > Spermatophyta (seed plants) > Angiospermae (flowering plants) > Eudicotyledons > Core Eudicots > Asterids > Euasterid II > Order: Asterales > Family: Asteraceae > Tribe: Heliantheae

There are 233 species found around the world. Four species are native to southern Africa, three species are naturalised weeds and additional three species are cultivated in the region.  

Species native to southern Africa

List from Plants of southern Africa - an online checklist (SANBI).

Bidens kilimandscharica

Recorded from Zimbabwe.

 

Bidens kirkii

 

Bidens schimperi

See Flora of Zimbabwe.

 

Bidens steppia

Recorded from Zimbabwe.

 

Species naturalised in southern Africa

List from Plants of southern Africa - an online checklist (SANBI).

 Bidens bipinnata (Spanish-Blackjack)

See KwaZulu-Natal wild flowers by Elsa Pooley p. 218, 318; Wild Flowers of the Highveld by Braam van Wyk and Sasa Malan p. 100. and Flora of Zimbabwe.

 

 Bidens biternata 

See KwaZulu-Natal wild flowers by Elsa Pooley p. 218, 318 and Flora of Zimbabwe.

 

 Bidens pilosa (Common Black-jack)

Gewone Knapsekêrel [Afrikaans]; umhlabangubo [Xhosa, Zulu]; amalenjane, isikhathula, ucucuza, ugamfe, umesisi, uqadolo [Zulu]

See KwaZulu-Natal wild flowers by Elsa Pooley p. 218; Wild Flowers of the Highveld by Braam van Wyk and Sasa Malan p. 40, 108. and Flora of Zimbabwe.

 

Other species, cultivated in southern Africa

List from Glen (2002).

Bidens formosa

Native to North America.

 

Bidens sulphurea

Native to Mexico.

 

Bidens tripartita

Native to the northern temperate region.

 

Publications

  • Grabandt, K. 1985. Weeds of Crops and Gardens in Southern Africa. Seal Publishing, Johannesburg.

  • Mesfin Tadesse. 1984. The genus Bidens (Compositae) in NE tropical Africa. Symbolae botanicae upsalienses 24: 1-138.

  • Mesfin Tadesse. 1993. An account of Bidens (Compositae: Heliantheae) for Africa. Kew Bulletin 48: 437-516.

  • Sherff, E.E. 1937. The genus Bidens. Field Museum of Natural History, Botanical Series 16: 1-709.