Acaena is a genus of about one hundred species of
perennialA perennial plant or perennial is a plant that lives for more than two years. When used by gardeners or horticulturalists, this term applies specifically to perennial herbaceous plants...
herbA herb is a plant that is valued for flavor, scent, or other qualities. Herbs are used in cooking, as medicines, and for spiritual purposes....
s and
subshrubA subshrub is a short woody plant. It is distinguished from a shrub by its ground-hugging stems and lower height, with overwintering perennial woody growth typically less than 10–20 cm tall, or by being only weakly woody and/or persisting only for a few years...
s in the
RosaceaeThe Rosaceae or rose family is a large family of plants, with about 3000 species in 100 genera . The name is derived from the genus Rosa...
, native mainly to the
Southern HemisphereThe Southern Hemisphere is the half of a planet that is south of the equator—the word hemisphere literally means 'half ball'...
, notably
New ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous smaller islands, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands. The indigenous Māori named New Zealand Aotearoa, commonly translated as The Land of the Long White Cloud...
,
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
and
South AmericaSouth America is the southern continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere...
, but with a few species extending into the
Northern HemisphereThe Northern Hemisphere is the half of a planet that is north of the equator—the word hemisphere literally means 'half sphere'. It is also that half of the celestial sphere north of the celestial equator...
, north to
HawaiiHawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states, and is the only state made up entirely of islands. It is located on an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of Australia. The state was admitted to the Union on August...
(
A. exigua) and
CaliforniaCalifornia is the most populous state in the United States, and the third largest by area. California is the second most populous sub-national entity in the Americas, behind only São Paulo, Brazil...
(
A. pinnatifida).
The
leavesIn botany, a leaf is an above-ground plant organ specialized for photosynthesis. For this purpose, a leaf is typically flat and thin. There is continued debate about whether the flatness of leaves evolved to expose the chloroplasts to more light or to increase the absorption of carbon dioxide. In...
are alternate, long, and pinnate or nearly so, with 7-21
leafletA leaflet in botany is a part of a compound leaf. A leaflet may resemble an entire leaf, but it is not borne on a stem as a leaf is, but rather on a vein of the whole leaf. Compound leaves are common in many plant families...
s. The
flowerA flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to mediate the union of male sperm with female ovum in order to produce seeds...
s are produced in a tight globose [inflorescence] in diameter, with no petals. The
fruitThe term fruit has different meanings dependent on context, and the term is not synonymous in food preparation and biology. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants disseminate seeds, and the presence of seeds indicates that a structure is most likely a fruit, though not all seeds come from...
is also a dense ball of many
seedA seed , referred to as a kernel in some plants, is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
s; in many (but not all) species the seeds bear a barbed arrowhead point, the seedhead forming a
burrA burr is a seed or dry fruit in which the seeds bear hooks or teeth which attach themselves to fur or clothing of passing animals or people. The hooks or teeth can be irritants and very hard to get off of clothing, such as wool or cotton...
which attaches itself to
animalAnimals are a major group of mostly multicellular, eukaryotic organisms of the kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. Their body plan eventually becomes fixed as they develop, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on in their life. Most animals are motile, meaning they can move spontaneously...
furFur is a synonym for hair, used more commonly in reference to non-human animals, usually mammals; particularly those with extensive body hair coverage. The term is sometimes used to refer to the body hair of an animal as a complete coat, also known as the "pelage". Fur is also used to refer to...
or
featherFeathers are one of the epidermal growths that form the distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on birds. They are considered the most complex integumentary structures found in vertebrates. They are among the outstanding characteristics that distinguish the extant Aves from other living groups....
s for dispersal.
Several
Acaena species in New Zealand are known by the common name
bidibid. The word is written variously
biddy-biddy,
biddi-biddi,
biddi-bid and a number of other variations. These names are the English rendition of the original Māori name of
piripiri.
Selected species
- Acaena adscendens
- Acaena anserinifolia
- Acaena argentea
- Acaena buchananii
- Acaena caesiiglauca
- Acaena dumicola
Acaena dumicola is a species of perennial plant found only in scrubby and rocky habitats at altitudes of between 300 and 1200 m on South Island, New Zealand....
Macmillan, 1985 (South IslandThe South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...
of New ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous smaller islands, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands. The indigenous Māori named New Zealand Aotearoa, commonly translated as The Land of the Long White Cloud...
)
- Acaena emittens
Acaena emittens is a species of perennial plant limited to scrubland and forest clearings at an altitude of 450-1500 m in central North Island, New Zealand....
Macmillan, 1989 (North IslandThe North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
of New Zealand)
- Acaena exigua A.Gray
Asa Gray is considered the most important American botanist of the 19th century.He was instrumental in unifying the taxonomic knowledge of the plants of North America...
- Liliwai (HawaiiHawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states, and is the only state made up entirely of islands. It is located on an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of Australia. The state was admitted to the Union on August...
)
- Acaena fissistipula
- Acaena glabra
- Acaena inermis
- Acaena juvenca
Acaena juvenca is a species of perennial plant found in scrubland and forest margins up to an altitude of 1200 m on the eastern side of both North and South Islands, New Zealand....
Macmillan, 1989 (New Zealand)
- Acaena laevigata
- Acaena lucida
- Acaena magellanica
- Acaena microphylla
|
Acaena myriophylla
Acaena novae-zelandiae Acaena novae-zelandiae is an ornamental plant native to New Zealand and Australia. It can also be found elsewhere as an introduced species, and is considered a noxious weed in some areas, such as Hawaii and California....
Kirk - Bidibid (New Zealand)
Acaena ovalifolia
Acaena ovina
Acaena pallida (Kirk) Allen - Sand bidibid
Acaena pinnatifida Ruiz & Pav. - Sheepburr
Acaena platyacantha
Acaena pumila
Acaena roridaAcaena rorida is a species of mat-forming perennial plant known only from grassy uplands on the Mangaohane Plateau in the northwestern part of the Ruahine Range on North Island, New Zealand....
Macmillan, 1991 (North Island of New Zealand)
Acaena saccaticupula
Acaena sanguisorbae
Acaena sericea
Acaena splendens
Acaena tescaAcaena tesca is a species of low growing perennial plant restricted to the upper slopes of the mountains of central Otago and northern Southland on South Island, New Zealand....
Macmillan, 1991 (South Island of New Zealand)
Acaena trifida |
Invasive species
Some species have been introduced accidentally to other areas, attached to sheep's
woolWool is a fibrous protein derived from the specialized skin cells called follicles. The wool is taken from animals in the Caprinae family, principally sheep, but the hair of certain species of other mammals including: goats, llamas, and rabbits may also be called wool...
, and have become
invasive species'Invasive species' is a phrase with several definitions. The first definition expresses the phrase in terms of non-indigenous species that adversely affect the habitats they invade economically, environmentally or ecologically...
.
A. novae-zelandiae, one of the bidibids from
New ZealandNew Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous smaller islands, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands. The indigenous Māori named New Zealand Aotearoa, commonly translated as The Land of the Long White Cloud...
, is the most commonly encountered species in the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
, where it is often abundant on coastal sand
duneIn physical geography, a dune is a hill of sand built by aeolian processes. Dunes are subject to different forms and sizes based on their interaction with the wind. Most kinds of dune are longer on the windward side where the sand is pushed up the dune, and a shorter "slip face" in the lee of the...
s, crowding out native vegetation and creating an often painful nuisance with the barbed burrs. In
CaliforniaCalifornia is the most populous state in the United States, and the third largest by area. California is the second most populous sub-national entity in the Americas, behind only São Paulo, Brazil...
,
A. pallida, from New Zealand and southeast
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
, is similarly a problem species.
External links