Bidibid

Botanical name: Acaena fissistipula

Common name(s): Bidibid, Piripiri

Plant facts:

A fast-growing, low-forming native ground cover with fine blue-grey foliage and a compact spreading habit. Similar to Acaena caesiiglauca but generally denser and faster growing, with attractive pinkish-red flower heads. Excellent for ground cover, erosion control, and alpine-style plantings.

Natural habitat:

Common in montane to low alpine tussock grasslands, stream margins, and open rocky areas.

Growing environment:

Frost, Sun, Shade, Drought, Wind & Free draining tolerant.

Endemic distribution:

Endemic to New Zealand’s South Island.

Height:

Approximately 10 cm tall

Flowering:

Summer
Produces green to pinkish-red flower heads.

Uses:

• Ground cover
• Bee food
• Riparian plantings
• Erosion control
• Alpine and rock garden plantings

Appearance:

Growth habit:
A dense, mat-forming perennial with a tighter, more compact habit than many other bidibid species.

Leaves:
Fine, pinnately divided blue-grey leaves give the plant a soft textured appearance. Foliage is typically denser and more delicate than Acaena caesiiglauca.

Flowers:
Rounded flower heads are pinkish-red in colour and held above the foliage during summer.

Fruit:
Develops hooked seed heads that aid dispersal by attaching to fur, feathers, and clothing.

How to grow:

Easily propagated from seed, cuttings, or division. Best grown in free-draining soils in full sun to partial shade. In humid climates, it performs best in drier positions with good airflow.