Hitchhiking was once a common means of low-cost transportation. A person would walk to the nearest road and hold out their fist with the thumb pointed up while attempting to make eye contact with passing drivers.
In a simpler time, hitchhikers were commonly provided a ride to a predetermined spot on the map. In exchange they provided companionship, conversation with the driver and maybe a little gas money.
Soldiers on leave, farm laborers, college students and many others used this ride-sharing technique in decades past. While the generosity of strangers still exists, hitchhiking has fallen out of favor due largely to improvements in mass transit and some notable criminal cases involving hitchhikers.
Changes in travel preferences notwithstanding, panhandle Florida still has plenty of active hitchhikers which are seeking a cheap means of travel. The winter encourages hitchhiking seeds to relocate to new territory open for colonization by that plant species.
One of the most common hitchhiking seeds locally is Bidens alba. It is known by an assortment of common names including Spanish needles, Beggar’s-tick and Hairy Beggar’s-tick and is a member of the daisy family.
Spanish needles (Bidens alba) gets its name from its needle-like seeds. Copious amounts are produced locally every year so the bloom will continue uninterrupted. It is one of many hitchhiking seeds currently awaiting relocation.
The genus name Bidens means two-toothed and refers to the two projections found at the top of the seed. The species name alba means white which refers to the flowers with white pedals and a yellow center.
This north Florida native annual uses the two hooked prongs at the end of the seed to attach itself to anything coming into contact. Each plant produces an average of approximately 1,200 seeds which germinate in the spring.
This weed is common in disturbed areas such as roadside ditches and fence rows with full sun exposure. It is capable of growing to six feet in height, but it will take mowing and continue blooming.
Spanish needle’s genus name Bidens means two-toothed and refers to the two projections found at the top of the seed. The species name alba means white which refers to the flowers with white pedals and a yellow center.
The relatively recent interest in wildflowers has encouraged the occasional propagation of this plant for landscaping purposes, but it is difficult to control inadvertent seed spread. On the plus side, it is a popular late-season source of pollen for honeybees and other pollinators.
Hackelia virginiana is another hitchhiker currently active in north Florida. Common names for this weed include Beggar’s Lice, Sticktight and Stickseed. Mothers have removed these from their children’s clothing for decades if not centuries.
The seed pods are approximately 1/8 inch long and are covered with stiff, bristly hairs protruding in every direction. Like Spanish needles, anything which brushes against these seeds will carry at least a few to new locations.
The seed pods are green but will dry to a dark brown. When the outer husk is peeled away, the seed appears as a tiny tan to white bean.
The plant has a single stalk about three feet in height. It produces a bloom in mid-to-late summer and the seeds mature in October.
This shallow-rooted biennial species has yet to gain the appreciation of wildflower lovers. It is still considered a weed pest and treated as such.
One byproduct of hitchhiking weeds has been the invention of Velcro. One half of this product resembles coarse fabric, and the other side mimics the texture of a cocklebur, another hitchhiking agronomic weed pest.
So, when moving about this time of year, be aware of unauthorized riders. This winter’s hitchhiker may be next year’s lawn weed.
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