beggar's-ticks

noun

Meaning

A plant of the genus Bidens that produces small, barbed seeds designed to cling to the fur of animals or the clothing of people for seed dispersal.

Examples

  • The hiker was covered in beggar's-ticks after trekking through the overgrown trail.
  • My dog came home with his coat matted with dozens of prickly beggar's-ticks.

Synonyms: stickseed, burr, hitchhiker, bidens