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Plant Database

Search for native plants by scientific name, common name or family. If you are not sure what you are looking for, try the Combination Search or our Recommended Species lists.

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Bidens alba (Common beggarticks)
Tauscher, Joseph Allan

Bidens alba

Bidens alba (L.) DC.

Common Beggarticks, Shepherd's Needles, Spanish Needles, Butterfly Needles, Hairy Beggarticks, Romerillo

Asteraceae (Aster Family)

Synonym(s):

USDA Symbol: BIAL

USDA Native Status: L48 (N), HI (I), PR (N), VI (I)

Common Beggarticks is a member of the aster family (family Asteraceae), which includes herbs, sometimes shrubs or vines, rarely trees, with simple or compound, alternate or opposite leaves. Flowers small, but organized into larger heads resembling a single, radially symmetrical flower cupped by a ring of green bracts. Flower-like heads: tiny, radially symmetrical central flowers form the disc; larger flowers around the edge, the rays, strap-shaped and resembling petals; however, all flowers in one head may be disc flowers or rays.

 

From the Image Gallery

11 photo(s) available in the Image Gallery

Plant Characteristics

Duration: Annual
Habit: Herb
Size Notes: Up to about 8 feet tall, often much shorter.
Fruit: Fruit is a cypsela (pl. cypselae). Though technically incorrect, the fruit is often referred to as an achene.

Bloom Information

Bloom Color: White , Yellow
Bloom Time: Jan , Feb , Mar , Apr , May , Jun , Jul , Aug , Sep , Oct , Nov , Dec

Distribution

USA: AL , CT , FL , GA , HI , LA , MO , PA

Value to Beneficial Insects

Special Value to Native Bees

This information was provided by the Pollinator Program at The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.

Butterflies and Moths of North America (BAMONA)

Florida Duskywing
(Ephyriades brunnea)

Adult Food Source
Learn more at BAMONA

From the National Organizations Directory

According to the species list provided by Affiliate Organizations, this plant is on display at the following locations:

Natural Biodiversity - Johnstown, PA

Wildflower Center Seed Bank

LBJWC-1295 Collected 2009-05-28 in Harris County by Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

1 collection(s) available in the Wildflower Center Seed Bank

Bibliography

Bibref 1186 - Field Guide to Moths of Eastern North America (2005) Covell, C.V., Jr.
Bibref 1185 - Field Guide to Western Butterflies (Peterson Field Guides) (1999) Opler, P.A. and A.B. Wright

Search More Titles in Bibliography

Web Reference

Webref 38 - Flora of North America (2019) Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.

Additional resources

USDA: Find Bidens alba in USDA Plants
FNA: Find Bidens alba in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Bidens alba

Metadata

Record Modified: 2023-01-02
Research By: TWC Staff

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