FNPS Plant Database

Bidens alba

beggarticks
  • Photo by: Shirley Denton, Suncoast Chapter
  • Photo by: John Lampkin., Nature Coast and Suncoast Chapters
  • Photo by: Ginny Stibolt, Ixia Chapter FNPS
  • Photo by: Ginny Stibolt, Ixia Chapter FNPS
  • Photo by: Ginny Stibolt, Ixia Chapter FNPS
  • Photo by: Ginny Stibolt, Ixia Chapter FNPS
  • Photo by: John Lampkin., Nature Coast and Suncoast Chapters

Nomenclature

Common Name:

beggarticks

Synonym(s):

Genus species:

Bidens alba

Family:

Asteraceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

flower

Size:

1-3 ft ft tall by 1-3 ft ft wide

Life Span:

Long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

white ray flowers, yellow disk flowers

Fruit Color:

black

Phenology:

Blooms all year.

Noted For:

Showy Flowers

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Casual settings, especially toward the rear of wildflower gardens

Considerations:

Once you have this plant, you will always have this plant. It can be quite weedy. The seeds have barbs which stick to clothing and pet fur.

Availability:

Seed

Propagation:

Seed. But if you don't have it now, you will, so no need to plant. Pull seedlings leaving only a few plants to bring in the insects.

Light:

Full Sun

Moisture Tolerance:

Always Flooded---------------------------------Extremely Dry

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Usually moist, occasional inundation -to- Very long very dry periods

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand

Soil pH:

adaptable

Suitable to Grow In:

8A,8B,9A,9B,10A,10B,11

USDA zones are based on the average annual extreme minimum winter temperature.



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Ecology

Wildlife:

Pollinators, Butterflies, Caterpillars

Attracts native bees, butterflies.





Larval host for the  dainty sulphur ( Nathalis iole ) butterfly.

Native Habitats:

Ruderal.

Natural Range in Florida:

Comments:

Ethnobotany:

Young leaves are edible and the sap will stop small wounds from bleeding.

General Comments:

Many of us think of this is a weed that we allow to grow for its value to insects.

Citations:

Haehle, Robert G. and Joan Brookwell.  1999.  Native Florida Plants.  Gulf Publishing Company.  Houston, TX.



Hammer, Roger. 2015.  Attracting hummingbirds and butterflies in tropical Florida.  University Presses of Florida.



Minno, Marc and Maria Minno.  1999.  Florida butterfly gardening.  University Press of Florida, Gainesville.



Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. 2021. Atlas of Florida Plants ( https://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/ ).  Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

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