Bidens hawaiensis

Description:

Kookoolau or Hawaii beggarticksAsteraceaeEndemic to the Hawaiian Islands (Kohala, Puna District and Klauea on Hawaii Island) Oahu (Cultivated)Achenes (fruits/seeds)Early Hawaiians used the leaves in hot teas and tonics. Today, all species of kookoolau can be brewed as a tonic and each are said to have distinct flavors. Regarding Bidens spp., Isabella Abbott comments that "I find that the roughly half a dozen species common in Hawaii offer two or three slightly different flavors, each a bit more subtle than commercial black tea." ("Lau Hawaii: Traditional Hawaiian Uses of Plants")<a href="http://nativeplants.hawaii.edu/plant/view/Bidens_hawaiensis"