Bidens
Encyclopedia
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of flowering plant
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
s in the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Asteraceae
Asteraceae
The Asteraceae or Compositae , is an exceedingly large and widespread family of vascular plants. The group has more than 22,750 currently accepted species, spread across 1620 genera and 12 subfamilies...
. It contains about 200 species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
. The common names beggarticks, black jack, bur-marigolds, stickseeds, tickseeds and tickseed sunflowers refer to the achene
Achene
An achene is a type of simple dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. Achenes are monocarpellate and indehiscent...
burr
Burr (fruit)
A bur is a seed or dry fruit in which the seeds bear hooks or teeth which attach themselves to fur or clothing of passing animals or people. The hooks or teeth can be irritants and very hard to get off of clothing, such as wool or cotton...
s on the seed
Seed
A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
s of this genus, most of which are barbed. The generic name refers to the same fact; it means "two-tooth", from Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
bis "two" + dens "tooth".
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
. This has enabled them to colonize a wide range, including many oceanic islands. Some of these species occur only in a very restricted range and several are now threatened with extinction, notably in the Hawaiian Islands
Hawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...
. Due to the absence of native mammals on these islands, some of the oceanic island taxa have reduced burrs, evolving features that seem to aid in dispersal by the wind instead.
Smooth Beggarticks (B. laevis
Bidens laevis
Bidens laevis is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family known by the common names bur-marigold and smooth beggarticks. It is native to the southern half of the United States, where it grows in wetlands, including estuaries and riverbanks. It is similar in appearance to its relative Bidens...
) is a common fall flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
in the southeastern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Pitchfork Weed (B. frondosa
Bidens frondosa
Devil's Beggarticks is an annual herb in the family Asteraceae, native to North America. It is known by a variety of different names, including Common Beggarticks, Common Tickseed, Large-leaved Beggarticks, Devil's Bootjack, Devil's Pitchfork, and Pitchfork Weed.It is up to 2 m tall, usually with...
) is considered to be a weed
Weed
A weed in a general sense is a plant that is considered by the user of the term to be a nuisance, and normally applied to unwanted plants in human-controlled settings, especially farm fields and gardens, but also lawns, parks, woods, and other areas. More specifically, the term is often used to...
in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, although it is not officially declared an invasive species
Invasive species
"Invasive species", or invasive exotics, is a nomenclature term and categorization phrase used for flora and fauna, and for specific restoration-preservation processes in native habitats, with several definitions....
.
On the Hawaiian Islands, Bidens are called kokoolau or kookoolau. They were and still are used to brew a refreshing tea. In some regions, leaves of Hairy Beggarticks (B. pilosa) and Three-lobed Beggarticks (B. tripartita) are sometimes eaten as a vegetable.
Nodding Beggarticks (B. cernua) and Hairy Beggarticks are useful as honey plants. Several Bidens species are used as food by the caterpillar
Caterpillar
Caterpillars are the larval form of members of the order Lepidoptera . They are mostly herbivorous in food habit, although some species are insectivorous. Caterpillars are voracious feeders and many of them are considered to be pests in agriculture...
s of certain Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera
Lepidoptera is a large order of insects that includes moths and butterflies . It is one of the most widespread and widely recognizable insect orders in the world, encompassing moths and the three superfamilies of butterflies, skipper butterflies, and moth-butterflies...
, such as the noctuid moth Hypercompe hambletoni and the Painted Lady
Vanessa cardui
Vanessa cardui is a well-known colourful butterfly, known as the Painted Lady, or in North America as the Cosmopolitan. This butterfly has a strange pattern of flying in a sort of screw shape.-Distribution:...
(Vanessa cardui, a brush-footed butterfly). The plant pathogen Bidens mottle virus
Bidens mottle virus
Bidens mottle virus ' is a pathogenic plant virus in the family Potyviridae. BiMoV is a 720 nm long and belongs to the Potyviridae genus Potyvirus...
was named after the present genus, as it was first isolated from Hairy Beggarticks; it infects a wide range of Asteraceae
Asteraceae
The Asteraceae or Compositae , is an exceedingly large and widespread family of vascular plants. The group has more than 22,750 currently accepted species, spread across 1620 genera and 12 subfamilies...
and other plants.
Bidens is found in many areas of the world. It is closely related to the American genus Coreopsis and in fact neither Bidens nor Coreopsis as defined in the 20th century is monophyletic.
Selected species
- Bidens alba (L.) DC. – Romerillo
- Bidens amplectensBidens amplectensThe Waianae Kokoolau is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It belongs to the genus Bidens, collectively called kokoolau or kookoolau in the Hawaiian language. It is found only in dry forests in the Waianae Range on Oahu. It is threatened by habitat loss due to the spread of...
Sherff – Waianae Kokoolau - Bidens amplissima Greene – Vancouver Island Beggarticks
- Bidens aristosaBidens aristosaBidens aristosa, commonly called Bearded Beggarticks, Long-bracted Beggarticks, Tickseed Beggarticks, or Western Tickseed, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It belongs to the genus Bidens...
(Michx.) Britt. – Bearded Beggarticks, Long-bracted Beggarticks, Tickseed Beggarticks, Western Tickseed - Bidens asymmetrica (Levl.) Sherff – Koolau Kokoolau
- Bidens aurea (Ait.) Sherff – Arizona Beggarticks
- Bidens bidentoides (Nutt.) Britt. – Delmarva Beggarticks
- Bidens bigelovii A.Gray – Bigelow's Beggarticks
- Bidens bipinnata L. – Spanish Needles; gui zheng cao in Chinese
- Bidens campylothecaBidens campylothecaThe Viper Beggarticks is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It belongs to the genus Bidens, collectively called kokoʻolau or koʻokoʻolau in the Hawaiian language. It is found only in the Hawaiian Islands.Its natural habitat is lowland moist forests...
Sch.Bip.– Viper Beggarticks - Bidens cernua L. (syn. B. glaucescens GreeneEdward Lee GreeneEdward Lee Greene, Ph.D., was an American botanist known for his numerous publications including the two-part Landmarks of Botanical History and the naming or redescribing of over 4,400 species of plants in the American West.- Early Life :Edward Lee Greene was born on August 20, 1843 in...
) – Nodding Beggarticks, Nodding Bur-marigold - Bidens cervicata Sherff – Kauai Beggarticks
- Bidens chippiiBidens chippiiBidens chippii is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It belongs to the genus Bidens.The plant was at first named Coreopsis chippii after the botanist Thomas Ford Chipp. Chipp found it on 11 February 1929 growing in scrub at an altitude of on top of Mount Kinyeti in the Imatong...
(M.B.Moss) Mesfin - Bidens conjunctaBidens conjunctaThe Bog Beggarticks is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It belongs to the genus Bidens, collectively called kokoʻolau or koʻokoʻolau in the Hawaiian language. It is found only on western Maui....
Sherff – Bog Beggarticks - Bidens connata Muhl. ex Willd. – Purple-stemmed Beggarticks, Purple-stemmed Swamp Beggarticks, Connate Beggarticks, London Bur-marigold, Southern Tickseed. Described as a hybrid of B. cernua and B. frondosa by
- Bidens coronata (L.) Britt. – Crowned Beggarticks
- Bidens cosmoides (A.Gray) Sherff – Cosmosflower Beggarticks, poola nui
- Bidens cuneata Sherff – Cuneate Bidens, Wedge Beggarticks
- Bidens cynapiifolia Kunth – West Indian Beggarticks
- Bidens discoidea (Torr. & A.Gray) Britt. – Discoid Beggarticks, Small Beggarticks, Swamp Beggarticks, Few-bracted Beggarticks
- Bidens eatonii Fern. – Eaton's Beggarticks
- Bidens ferulifoliaBidens ferulifoliaBidens ferulifolia, common names Apache beggarticks and fern-leaved beggarticks, is a biannual to perennial herb in the family Asteraceae.-Distribution:...
(Jacq.) DC. – Apache Beggarticks, Fern-leaved Beggarticks - Bidens forbesii Sherff – Coastalbluff Beggarticks
- Bidens frondosaBidens frondosaDevil's Beggarticks is an annual herb in the family Asteraceae, native to North America. It is known by a variety of different names, including Common Beggarticks, Common Tickseed, Large-leaved Beggarticks, Devil's Bootjack, Devil's Pitchfork, and Pitchfork Weed.It is up to 2 m tall, usually with...
L. – Devil's Beggarticks, Large-leaved Beggarticks, Common Beggarticks, Common Tickseed, Devil's Bootjack, Devil's Pitchfork, Pitchfork Weed - Bidens gardneri Baker – Ridge Beggarticks
- Bidens hawaiensis A.Gray – Hawaii Beggarticks
- Bidens henryi Sherff
- Bidens heterodoxa (Fern.) Fern. & H.St.John – Connecticut Beggarticks
- Bidens heterosperma Gray – Rocky Mountain Beggarticks
- Bidens hillebrandiana (Drake) O.Deg. – Seacliff Beggarticks
- Bidens hyperborea Greene – Estuary Beggarticks, Coastal Beggarticks, Northern Estuarine Beggarticks, Seacliff Beggarticks
- Bidens laevisBidens laevisBidens laevis is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family known by the common names bur-marigold and smooth beggarticks. It is native to the southern half of the United States, where it grows in wetlands, including estuaries and riverbanks. It is similar in appearance to its relative Bidens...
(L.) B.S.P. – Smooth Beggarticks, Smooth Bur-marigold, Larger Bur-marigold - Bidens lemmonii Gray – Lemmon's Beggarticks
- Bidens leptocephala Sherff – Few-flowered Beggarticks
- Bidens macrocarpa (Gray) Sherff – Large-fruited Beggarticks
- Bidens manniiBidens manniiBidens mannii is a species of flowering plant in the Asteraceae family.It is found only in Cameroon.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical high-altitude grassland.It is threatened by habitat loss.-References:...
T.G.J.Rayner - Bidens mauiensisBidens mauiensisBidens mauiensis, common names Maui beggarticks and ko`oko`olau, is a herb in the family Asteraceae....
(Gray) Sherff – Maui Beggarticks - Bidens menziesii (Gray) Sherff – Mauna Loa Beggarticks
- Bidens micranthaBidens micranthaBidens micrantha is a species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common name grassland beggarticks. It is endemic to the Hawaiian Islands, where it and other Bidens species are known as kōokoolau...
Gaud. – Grassland Beggarticks- Bidens micrantha ssp. kalealaha Nagata & Ganders – Kalealaha Beggarticks
- Bidens mitis (Michx.) Sherff – Small-fruited Beggarticks
- Bidens molokaiensisBidens molokaiensisThe Molokai Beggarticks is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It belongs to the genus Bidens, collectively called kokoolau or kookoolau in the Hawaiian language. It is found only on Molokai in the Hawaiian Islands.It inhabits low shrublands and rocky shores...
(Hillebr.) Sherff – Molokai Beggarticks - Bidens × multiceps Fassett
- Bidens pilosaBidens pilosaBidens pilosa, commonly known as Spanish Needle, is a species in the plant family Asteraceae. It is an annual that grows up to 1 meter in height....
S.F.Blake – Hairy Beggarticks - Bidens polylepis S.F.Blake – Awnless Beggarticks
- Bidens populifoliaBidens populifoliaThe Oahu Beggarticks or Poplar-leaved Bidens is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It belongs to the genus Bidens, collectively called kokoolau or kookoolau in the Hawaiian language...
Sherff – Oahu Beggarticks, Poplar-leaved Bidens - Bidens reptans (L.) G.Don – Manzanilla Trepador
- Bidens sandvicensis Less. – Shrubland Beggarticks
- Bidens schimperi Sch.Bip.
- Bidens simplicifoliaBidens simplicifoliaBidens simplicifolia is a species of flowering plant in the Asteraceae family.It is found only in Ecuador.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.It is threatened by habitat loss.-Source:...
C.H.Wright - Bidens socorrensis
- Bidens squarrosa Kunth
- Bidens tenuisecta A.Gray – Slim-lobed Beggarticks
- Bidens tortaBidens tortaBidens torta, the corkscrew beggartick, is a plant species.Okanin, a chalcone, can be found in Bidens pilosa . Methylated okanin derivatives can be isolated from Bidens torta. Those include okanin 3,4,3′,4′-tetramethyl ether, okanin 3,4,3′-trimethyl ether 4′-glucoside, okanin 4-methyl ether...
Sherff – Corkscrew Beggarticks - Bidens tripartitaBidens tripartitaBidens tripartita, commonly known as Three-lobe Beggarticks, Three-part Beggarticks, Leafy-bracted Beggarticks or Trifid Bur-marigold, is a flowering plant in the genus Bidens. It is native to large parts of the Northern hemisphere, including Europe, the Indian subcontinent, North America,...
L. (syn B. acuta, B. comosa) – Three-lobed Beggarticks, Three-part Beggarticks, Leafy-bracted Beggarticks, Trifid Bur-marigold - Bidens triplinervia Kunth
- Bidens triplinervia var. macrantha (Wedd.) Sherff
- Bidens valida Sherff – Mt. Kahili Beggarticks
- Bidens vulgataBidens vulgataBidens vulgata is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family known by the common name big devils beggartick. It is native to eastern North America, where it is a plant of wetlands. It is an introduced species in much of western North America as well as parts of Europe...
Greene – Big Devil's Beggarticks, Tall Beggarticks, Tall Bur-marigold, Western Sticktight - Bidens wiebkeiBidens wiebkeiWiebke's Beggarticks or Molokaʻi Koʻokoʻolau is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It belongs to the genus Bidens, collectively called kokoʻolau or koʻokoʻolau in the Hawaiian language. It is found only on Molokaʻi in the Hawaiian Islands...
Sherff – Wiebke's Beggarticks, Molokai Kookoolau
Formerly placed here
- Cosmos atrosanguineusCosmos atrosanguineusCosmos atrosanguineus is a species of Cosmos, native to Mexico, where it is extinct in the wild. The species was introduced into cultivation in 1902, where it survives as a single clone reproduced by vegetative propagation....
(Hook.) Voss (as B. atrosanguinea (Hook.) Ortgies ex Regel) - Cosmos bipinnatusCosmos bipinnatusCosmos bipinnatus, commonly called the garden cosmos or Mexican aster, is a medium sized flowering herbaceous plant native to Mexico. The species and its varieties and cultivars are popular as an ornamental plant in temperate climate gardens...
Cav. (as B. formosa (Bonato) Sch.Bip.) - Melanthera nivea (L.) Small (as B. nivea L.)
- Salmea scandens (L.) DC. (as B. scandens L.)
- Thelesperma megapotamicumThelesperma megapotamicumThelesperma megapotamicum is a species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common name Hopi tea greenthread. It is native to sections of the Americas, including the central United States, where it grows in many types of habitat. It is a perennial herb producing a slender, branching...
(Spreng.) Kuntze (as B. megapotamica Spreng.)