Bidens menziesii subsp. filiformis

Description:

Kookoolau or Mauna Loa beggarticksAsteraceae (Sunflower family)Endemic to the Hawaiian Islands (Leeward sides of and in saddle between Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea on Hawaii island)Oahu (Cultivated)Early Hawaiians used the leaves in hot teas and tonics. Today, all species of kookoolau can be brewed as a tonic and each are said to have distinct flavors. Regarding Bidens spp., Isabella Abbott comments that "I find that the roughly half a dozen species common in Hawaii offer two or three slightly different flavors, each a bit more subtle than commercial black tea." ("Lau Hawaii: Traditional Hawaiian Uses of Plants")EtymologyThe name Bidens is derived from the Latin bi, two, and dens, teeth in reference to the pappus awns or collective bristles on the achenes (fruit, seeds).The species epithet menziesii refers to Archibald Menzies (1754-1842) a Scottish surgeon and naturalist, and the first to taxonomically identify the species.NPH00006nativeplants.hawaii.edu/plant/view/Bidens_menziesii_filif...