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How do barbed pappus awns help beggar-tick seeds spread?
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Asteraceae
The flowering head of a sunflower (Helianthus annuus) is formed of yellow, petal-like ray flowers and a brown center of minute disk flowers.
In the Asteraceae family, the beggar-tick (Bidens) utilizes barbed pappus awns to facilitate seed dispersal through a process known as epizoochory.
These barbs allow the plant's achenes—the dry, single-seeded fruits characteristic of the family—to cling tenaciously to the fur of animals or the clothing of humans. By hitching a ride on these carriers, the seeds are transported away from the parent plant to new locations, effectively expanding the plant's range.12