Bidibid

Botanical name: Acaena anserinifolia
Synonyms: None
Common name(s): Bidibid, Hutiwai, Piripiri

About:
Bidibid is a fast-growing native groundcover with soft, bluish-green foliage and creeping stems that form dense, interwoven mats.

It is especially well known for its distinctive barbed seed heads, which attach readily to clothing, footwear and animal fur. This effective dispersal mechanism allows the plant to spread widely through open habitats.

Its dense growth makes it useful for weed suppression, erosion control and naturalistic native planting.

Natural habitat:
Common along forest margins, tracks, shrublands, stream edges and open grassy places.

It occurs from lowland environments to lower subalpine areas and is often found in disturbed or partially open habitats where there is sufficient light.

Growing environment:
Tolerates frost, sun, shade, wind and periods of drought once established.

It grows best in free-draining soil and performs well in full sun to partial shade. Plants are adaptable and can establish in a wide range of soil types provided prolonged waterlogging is avoided.

Endemic distribution:
Endemic to New Zealand and widespread throughout the North, South, Stewart and Chatham Islands.

It has also become naturalised on the Auckland and Campbell Islands.

Height:
Up to approximately 15 cm

Width:
Spreads widely through creeping stems and may form mats more than 1 m across

Flowering:
October–January

Fruiting:
December–April

Uses:
• Native groundcover
• Weed suppression
• Erosion control
• Riparian planting
• Bank and slope stabilisation
• Pollinator habitat
• Naturalistic garden planting
• Revegetation projects

Appearance:
Growth habit:
A low-growing, spreading perennial that develops creeping stems across the soil surface.

The stems root where they contact the ground, allowing the plant to form dense, interwoven mats.

Stems:
Stems are slender, creeping and often reddish or brownish with age. They spread horizontally and produce upright flowering stems above the foliage.

Leaves:
Leaves are soft textured, bluish green to grey green and divided into several paired leaflets with a larger terminal leaflet.

The leaflets are toothed and may have a slightly silvery appearance, particularly in exposed or dry conditions.

Flowers:
Flowers are small and inconspicuous, varying from white or greenish white to pink or reddish tones.

They are produced in rounded or elongated flower heads held above the foliage on slender stems.

Fruit:
The flower heads develop into rounded clusters of dry fruits covered with long hooked barbs.

These hooks act like Velcro, attaching to passing animals, clothing and other surfaces.

Seeds:
Each small dry fruit contains a single seed. The hooked fruiting structures transport the seeds away from the parent plant through attachment to fur, feathers or clothing.

Ecology:
Bidibid is an adaptable native groundcover that helps stabilise exposed soil and reduce surface erosion.

Its dense foliage suppresses competing seedlings and provides shelter for small insects and other invertebrates.

The flowers provide pollen and nectar for small insects, while the hooked fruits are dispersed mainly by animals and people.

Its ability to colonise disturbed ground makes it valuable during the early stages of ecological restoration.

Associated habitats:
Forest margins, open shrubland, grassland, stream banks, track edges, rocky slopes, coastal terraces and lower subalpine vegetation.

Associated plants may include native grasses, sedges, small-leaved coprosmas, mānuka, kānuka, ferns and other low-growing herbs.

How to grow:
Plant in free-draining soil in full sun or partial shade.

Water regularly during establishment, but once rooted the plant is tolerant of moderate drought and exposed conditions.

Space plants approximately 30–50 cm apart where a continuous groundcover is required. The spreading stems will gradually fill gaps and may be trimmed if they extend beyond the intended area.

The hooked seed heads can be removed before maturity in gardens where attachment to pets or clothing may be undesirable.

Propagation:
Easily propagated from fresh seed or by division of established plants.

Rooted sections of creeping stem may be separated from the parent plant and replanted directly into moist soil.

Seed can be collected from mature fruiting heads and sown into a free-draining seed-raising mix. Keep the mix lightly moist until germination.

Cultural use:
The names hutiwai and piripiri refer to plants with clinging or attaching fruits.

The hooked seed heads are familiar for their ability to adhere firmly to clothing and animal fur, a feature reflected in several traditional and common names.

Garden value:
Bidibid is a useful native groundcover for banks, slopes, riparian edges and informal native gardens.

Its attractive blue-green foliage provides texture and contrast, while its dense spreading habit helps suppress weeds and protect exposed soil.

The barbed seed heads should be considered carefully when planting beside paths, lawns or areas frequently used by pets and people.