To disburse to new territory some plants use mammals to transport their seeds. The seeds that traditionally were catching rides in the fur of bison and wolves are now traveling by being stuck in our socks. Gardeners sometimes introduce these species to their yards by picking them out of their socks after coming home from exploring a trail in a woods or prairie. Wildlife can also move these seeds into the garden.
Desmodium grows at knee height and has a nice form with a slender stem and then a whorl of leaf stalks and the flowers sticking out. The flowers are cute little legumes in pink. Seed pods start to form into rows of velcroy triangles in fall, turning from green to brown. Demodium is often found along the edge of trails through woodlands and forest edge. With many common names including beggars lice, sticktights, and tick trefoil, Demodium is the genus name of sever-al native species.
Bidens are an attractive yellow flower that will trick you into allowing it to grow in the garden with their beauty. The genus Bidens can be called Spanish needles or beggar's ticks and has sev-eral native species in Missouri. I run into Bidens in my alley, along fence rows, and other ne-glected places. The seeds are long pointy barbs that weave into cloths, gloves, and fur so they can travel to new sites.
Galium, also known as cleavers or bedstraw, is another native that likes to catch a ride. Galium seeds are not only sticky but the entire plant will stick to your clothes. The seeds are small balls that often coat my gardening gloves and must be carefully picked off to not spread them to other areas of the yard. There are many species of native Galium, the common garden pest is a vining mass that grows in shaded spots. In the woods more attractive delicate species of Galium can be found but they still stick in your socks when the seeds are ripe.
Agrimonia has a few native species in our state. Common names include agrimony, groovebur, and sticklewort. Agrimonia is a common garden invader, but its natural habitat is in dry wood-lands. The seed is a small ball that the plant holds at about knee height, waiting for a victim. Each round seed has a fringe of hooks that catch your clothing as you walk by. Agrimonia has cute buttercup like yellow flowers that are easy to overlook amidst the dense green leaves.
I often get the common names of these beggar stickle lice mixed up so I generally stick to using the genus name when trying to talk about them. These obnoxious plants all have their charms and can be used in the garden carefully. Seeds can be eaten by birds and other wildlife and the blooms provide food for pollinators. I generally try to keep them out of my garden because I’m not a fastidious gardener and things get out of hand pretty quickly. I do not like having seeds stuck in my socks, so I admire these plants out in nature or other patches of earth they find to inhabit.
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