Several Bidens species are used as food by the caterpillars of certain Lepidoptera, such as the noctuid moth Hypercompe hambletoni and the brush-footed butterfly Vanessa cardui, the Painted Lady.
This virus was originally isolated from a mottled plant of the common weed Bidens pilosa (Fig. 1) collected in Gainesville (FL) – hence the name Bidens mottle virus.
Bidens alba | Bidens | Bidens torta | Bidens pilosa | Bidens laevis |
The foodplants of this genus are not too well known, but appear to be limited by availability rather than being restricted to a particular lineage of plants; recorded are for example Bidens (beggarticks) and Vaccinium (blueberries and relatives), which are both asterids but otherwise unrelated.