''Bidens'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

s in the aster

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Asteraceae Asteraceae () is a large family (biology), family of flowering plants that consists of over 32,000 known species in over 1,900 genera within the Order (biology), order Asterales. The number of species in Asteraceae is rivaled only by the Orchi ...

.''Bidens''.
Flora of North America. The genus include roughly 230 species which are distributed worldwide.Knope, M. L., Funk, V. A., Johnson, M. A., Wagner, W. L., Datlof, E. M., Johnson, G., ... & Carlquist, S. (2020). Dispersal and adaptive radiation of ''Bidens'' (Compositae) across the remote archipelagoes of Polynesia. ''Journal of Systematics and Evolution'', ''58''(6), 805-822. Despite their global distribution, the systematics and taxonomy of the genus has been described as complicated and unorganized.Ganders, F. R., Berbee, M., & Perseyedi, M. (2000). ITS base sequence phylogeny in ''Bidens'' (Asteraceae): Evidence for the continental relatives of Hawaiian and Marquesan ''Bidens''. ''Systematic Botany,'' ''25''(1), 122-133. The common names beggarticks, black jack, burr marigolds, cobbler's pegs, Spanish needles, stickseeds, tickseeds and tickseed sunflowers refer to the fruits of the plants, most of which are bristly and barbed. The generic name refers to the same character; ''Bidens'' comes from the

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

''bi'' ("two") and ''dens'' ("tooth").

Phylogeny, taxonomy and diversity

Despite their global distribution, the systematics and taxonomy of the genus has been described as complicated and unorganized. The genus include roughly 230 species.''Bidens''.
The Jepson eFlora 2013. ''Bidens'' is closely related to the American genus ''

Coreopsis ''Coreopsis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae. Common names include calliopsis and tickseed, a name shared with various tickseed, other plants. Description These plants range from in height. The flowers are usually ye ...

'', and the genera are sometimes difficult to tell apart; in addition, neither is

monophyletic In biological cladistics for the classification of organisms, monophyly is the condition of a taxonomic grouping being a clade – that is, a grouping of organisms which meets these criteria: # the grouping contains its own most recent co ...

.Crawford, D. J. and M. E. Mort. (2005)
Phylogeny of Eastern North American ''Coreopsis'' (Asteraceae-Coreopsideae): insights from nuclear and plastid sequences, and comments on character evolution.
''American Journal of Botany'' 92(2), 330-36.

Species

Species include:''Bidens''.
Flora of China. * ''

Bidens alba ''Bidens alba'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, commonly known as shepherd's needles, beggarticks, Spanish needles, or butterfly needles.''Bidens alba''. Ed. Linda C. Duever. FLORIDATA: 21 Nov. 2003. 27 May 2013. ''Biden ...

'' (L.) DC. – romerillo * ''

Bidens amplectens ''Bidens amplectens'', the Waiʻanae kokoʻolau, 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 in coastal and dry low ...

'' Sherff – Waianae kokoolau * ''

Bidens amplissima ''Bidens amplissima'', also known as the Vancouver Island beggarticks, is a wetland annual species in the sunflower family, Asteraceae that is listed as Special Concern in Canada and has a limited global range. More than 85% of known populations ...

'' Greene – Vancouver Island beggarticks * ''

Bidens aristosa ''Bidens aristosa'', known by many common names such as bearded beggarticks, western tickseed, showy tickseed, long-bracted beggarticks, tickseed beggarticks, swamp marigold, and Yankee lice, is an herbaceous, annual plant in the ''Asteraceae'' ...

'' (Michx.) Britt. – bearded beggarticks, long-bracted beggarticks, tickseed sunflower, western tickseed * ''

Bidens asymmetrica ''Bidens'' is a genus of flowering plants in the aster family, Asteraceae.''Bidens''.
...

'' (Levl.) Sherff – Koolau kokoolau, Ko'olau Range beggarticks * ''

Bidens aurea ''Bidens aurea '', the Arizona beggarticks, is a North American species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is widespread across much of Mexico and found also in Arizona and Guatemala. The species is also naturalized in parts of Euro ...

'' (Ait.) Sherff – Arizona beggarticks * '' Bidens beckii'' – Beck's water-marigold, Henderson's water-marigold, Oregon water-marigold * ''

Bidens bidentoides ''Bidens bidentoides'' (formerly ''Diodonta bidentoides''), commonly called swamp beggar's-ticks and delmarva beggarticks, is an annual, herbaceous, flowering plant in the Asteraceae family. It is native to the northeastern and east-central part ...

'' (Nutt.) Britt. – Delmarva beggarticks * ''

Bidens bigelovii ''Bidens bigelovii,'' commonly called Bigelow's beggarticks, is an annual herbaceous flowering plant in the Asteraceae family. It is native to the southwestern and south-central United States (Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado) and ...

'' A.Gray – Bigelow's beggarticks * ''

Bidens bipinnata ''Bidens bipinnata'' is a common and widespread species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. Distribution Its native range remains uncertain due to its global distribution, however prevailing thought places its origin in Asia and North ...

'' L. – Spanish needles, hemlock beggarticks, ''gui zheng cao'' () * ''

Bidens biternata ''Bidens'' is a genus of flowering plants in the aster family, Asteraceae.''Bidens''.
...

'' * ''

Bidens cabopulmensis ''Bidens cabopulmensis'' is a rare species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is known only from the region in and near Cabo Pulmo National Park called Punta Arena. This is in the State of Baja California Sur in western Mexico. ''B ...

'' * ''

Bidens campylotheca ''Bidens campylotheca'', the 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 t ...

'' Sch.Bip.– viper beggarticks * ''

Bidens cernua ''Bidens cernua'' is a species of flowering plant in the aster family, Asteraceae. ''Bidens cernua'' is distributed throughout much of Eurasia and North America.

'' L. (syn. ''B. glaucescens''

Greene Greene may refer to: Places United States *Greene, Indiana, an unincorporated community * Greene, Iowa, a city * Greene, Maine, a town ** Greene (CDP), Maine, in the town of Greene * Greene (town), New York **Greene (village), New York, in the to ...

) – nodding beggarticks, nodding bur-marigold * ''

Bidens cervicata ''Bidens'' is a genus of flowering plants in the aster family, Asteraceae.''Bidens''.
...

'' Sherff – Kauai beggarticks * ''

Bidens chippii ''Bidens 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 British botanist Thomas Ford Chipp (1886–1931)). Chipp found it on 11 Febr ...

'' (M.B.Moss) Mesfin * ''

Bidens conjuncta ''Bidens conjuncta'', the 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. ''Bidens conjuncta'' is fo ...

'' Sherff – bog beggarticks * ''

Bidens connata ''Bidens connata '', the purplestem beggarticks or London bur-marigold, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is widespread across much of Eurasia, North Africa, and North America, and naturalized in Australia and on certai ...

''Crowe, D. R. and W. H. Parker. (1981)
Hybridization and agamospermy of ''Bidens'' in northwestern Ontario.
''Taxon'' 30(4): 749-60. Muhl. ex Willd. – purplestem beggarticks * '' Bidens coronata'' (L.) Britt. – crowned beggarticks * ''

Bidens cosmoides ''Bidens cosmoides'', commonly known as the cosmosflower beggarticks, is a species of flowering plant in the Asteraceae, sunflower family. It is Endemism, endemic to Hawaiian tropical rainforests#Mixed mesic forests, mixed mesic forests at elevat ...

'' (A.Gray) Sherff – cosmosflower beggarticks, ''poola nui'' * '' Bidens cynapiifolia'' Kunth – West Indian beggarticks, ''alfilerillo'' * '' Bidens discoidea'' (Torr. & A.Gray) Britt. – discoid beggarticks, small beggarticks, swamp beggarticks, few-bracted beggarticks * ''

Bidens eatonii ''Bidens eatonii'' (Eaton's beggarticks) is a North American species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is native to eastern Canada (Québec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island) and the northeastern United States (Maine, Massachuset ...

'' Fern. – Eaton's beggarticks, ''bident d'Eaton'' * '' Bidens ferulifolia'' (Jacq.) DC. – Apache beggarticks, fern-leaved beggarticks * ''

Bidens forbesii ''Bidens'' is a genus of flowering plants in the aster family, Asteraceae.''Bidens''.
...

'' Sherff – coastal bluff beggarticks * ''

Bidens frondosa ''Bidens frondosa'' is a North American species of flowering plant in the aster family, Asteraceae. It is widespread across much of Canada, the United States, and MexicoPitchfork weed (''B. frondosa'') is considered to be a

weed A weed is a plant considered undesirable in a particular situation, growing where it conflicts with human preferences, needs, or goals.Harlan, J. R., & deWet, J. M. (1965). Some thoughts about weeds. ''Economic botany'', ''19''(1), 16-24. Pla ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. * '' Bidens gardneri'' Baker – ridge beggarticks * '' Bidens hawaiensis'' A.Gray – Hawaii beggarticks * '' Bidens henryi'' Sherff * '' Bidens heterodoxa'' (Fern.) Fern. & H.St.John – Connecticut beggarticks, ''bident différent'' * ''

Bidens heterosperma ''Bidens heterosperma'', commonly known as the Rocky Mountain beggarticks, is an annual or perennial, herbaceous, flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, tribe Coreopsideae. It is native to northwestern and north-central Mexico, and portions ...

'' Gray – Rocky Mountain beggarticks * '' Bidens hillebrandiana'' (Drake) O.Deg. – seacliff beggarticks * '' Bidens hyperborea'' Greene – estuary beggarticks, coastal beggarticks, northern estuarine beggarticks, seacliff beggarticks * ''

Bidens laevis ''Bidens laevis'' is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family known by the common names larger bur-marigold and smooth beggarticks. It is native to South America, Mexico, and the southern and eastern United States. It grows in wetlands, in ...

'' (L.) B.S.P. – smooth beggarticks, smooth bur-marigold, larger bur-marigold. Smooth beggarticks (''B. laevis'') is a common fall

flower Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...

in the southeastern United States. * ''

Bidens lemmonii ''Bidens lemmonii'' (Lemmon's beggarticks) is a North American species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is native to the southwestern United States (Arizona, New Mexico) and Mexico (Sonora, Chihuahua, Durango, Sinaloa, Michoacán, ...

'' Gray – Lemmon's beggarticks * '' Bidens leptocephala'' Sherff – few-flowered beggarticks * '' Bidens leptophylla'' * '' Bidens macrocarpa'' (Gray) Sherff – large-fruited beggarticks * '' Bidens macroptera'' (Sch.Bip. ex Chiov.) Mesfin * '' Bidens mannii'' T.G.J.Rayner * '' Bidens mauiensis'' (Gray) Sherff – Maui beggarticks * '' Bidens maximowicziana'' * '' Bidens menziesii'' (Gray) Sherff – Mauna Loa beggarticks * '' Bidens meyeri'' V.A.Funk & K.R.Wood * '' Bidens micrantha'' Gaud. –

grassland A grassland is an area where the vegetation is dominance (ecology), dominated by grasses (Poaceae). However, sedge (Cyperaceae) and rush (Juncaceae) can also be found along with variable proportions of legumes such as clover, and other Herbaceo ...

beggarticks ** ''B. micrantha'' ssp. ''kalealaha'' Nagata & Ganders – Kalealaha beggarticks * '' Bidens mitis'' (Michx.) Sherff – small-fruited beggarticks * '' Bidens molokaiensis'' (Hillebr.) Sherff – Molokai beggarticks, wedge beggarticks * ''Bidens'' × ''multiceps'' Fassett * ''

Bidens nudata ''Bidens nudata'' is a species of perennial plant in the family Asteraceae commonly known as the Cape beggar's tick or Baja tickseed. This species is endemic to the Sierra de la Laguna and the Sierra de las Cacachilas of Baja California Sur, Mex ...

'' Brandegee ''–'' Cape beggar's tick, Baja tickseed * '' Bidens parviflora'' * '' Bidens pachyloma'' – Meskel Flower * ''

Bidens pilosa ''Bidens pilosa'' is an annual species of herbaceous flowering plant in the daisy family Asteraceae. Its many common names include hitch hikers, black-jack, beggarticks, farmer's friends and Spanish needle, but most commonly referred to as co ...

'' S.F.Blake – hairy beggarticks * '' Bidens polylepis'' S.F.Blake * '' Bidens populifolia'' Sherff – Oahu beggarticks * '' Bidens radiata'' * '' Bidens reptans'' (L.) G.Don – manzanilla trepador * '' Bidens sandvicensis'' Less. – shrubland beggarticks * '' Bidens schimperi'' Sch.Bip. * '' Bidens simplicifolia'' C.H.Wright * '' Bidens socorrensis'' * ''

Bidens squarrosa ''Bidens'' is a genus of flowering plants in the aster family, Asteraceae.''Bidens''.
...

'' Kunth * '' Bidens subalternans'' DC. * '' Bidens tenuisecta'' A.Gray – slim-lobed beggarticks * '' Bidens torta'' Sherff – corkscrew beggarticks * '' Bidens trichosperma'' (Michx.) Britton – crowned beggarticks * ''

Bidens tripartita ''Bidens tripartita'' is a common and widespread species of flowering plant in the sunflower family, Asteraceae, commonly known as three-lobe beggarticks, three-part beggarticks, leafy-bracted beggarticks or trifid bur-marigold. It is native to m ...

'' L. (syn. ''B. acuta'', ''B. comosa'') – three-lobed beggarticks, three-part beggarticks, leafy-bracted beggarticks, trifid bur-marigold * '' Bidens triplinervia'' Kunth ** ''B. triplinervia'' var. ''macrantha'' (Wedd.) Sherff * ''

Bidens valida ''Bidens'' is a genus of flowering plants in the aster family (biology), family, Asteraceae.' ...

'' Sherff – Mt. Kahili beggarticks * '' Bidens vulgata'' Greene – big devil's beggarticks, tall beggarticks, tall bur-marigold, western sticktight * ''

Bidens wiebkei ''Bidens wiebkei'', the Molokaʻi koʻokoʻolau or Wiebke's 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 langua ...

'' Sherff – Wiebke's beggarticks

Formerly placed here

*'' Cosmos atrosanguineus'' (Hook.) Voss (as ''B. atrosanguinea'' (Hook.) Ortgies ex Regel) *''

Cosmos bipinnatus ''Cosmos bipinnatus'', commonly called the garden cosmos, Mexican aster or cosmea, is a medium-sized flowering herbaceous plant in the daisy family Asteraceae, native to the Americas. The species and its varieties and cultivars are popular as or ...

'' Cav. (as ''B. formosa'' (Bonato) Sch.Bip.) *''

Melanthera nivea ''Melanthera nivea'', also known as pineland squarestem, snow squarestem and , is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It grows in the Americas. Distribution It is found in the SE United States, including Louisiana, Mississipp ...

'' (L.) Small (as ''B. nivea'' L.) *''

Salmea scandens ''Salmea'' is a genus of plants in the tribe Heliantheae within the family Asteraceae. ; Species * ''Salmea caleoides'' Griseb. - Cuba * ''Salmea eupatoria'' DC. - Bolivia * ''Salmea glaberrima'' C.Wright ex Griseb. - Cuba * ''Salmea insipida'' ...

'' (L.) DC. (as ''B. scandens'' L.) *'' Thelesperma megapotamicum'' (Spreng.) Kuntze (as ''B. megapotamica'' Spreng.)

Distribution

''Bidens'' includes roughly 230 species which are distributed worldwide throughout many

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the equator, where the sun may shine directly overhead. This contrasts with the temperate or polar regions of Earth, where the Sun can never be directly overhead. This is because of Earth's ax ...

and warm

temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (approximately 23.5° to 66.5° N/S of the Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ran ...

regions.''Bidens''.
New South Wales Flora Online. National Herbarium, Royal Botanic Garden, Sydney. Species occur in the Americas, Africa, Polynesia, Europe and Asia.Ganders, F. R., et al. (2000)
ITS base sequence phylogeny in ''Bidens'' (Asteraceae): Evidence for the continental relatives of Hawaiian and Marquesan ''Bidens''.
''Systematic Botany'' 25(1) 122-33. ''Bidens'' are

zoochorous In spermatophyte plants, seed dispersal is the movement, spread or transport of seeds away from the parent plant. Plants have limited mobility and rely upon a variety of dispersal vectors to transport their seeds, including both abiotic vectors, ...

; their seeds will stick to clothing, fur or feathers, and be carried to new

habitat In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

. This has enabled them to colonize a wide range, including many

oceanic island An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...

s. Some of these species occur only in a very restricted range and several are now threatened with

extinction Extinction is the termination of an organism by the death of its Endling, last member. A taxon may become Functional extinction, functionally extinct before the death of its last member if it loses the capacity to Reproduction, reproduce and ...

, notably in the

Hawaiian Islands The Hawaiian Islands () are an archipelago of eight major volcanic islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the Pacific Ocean, North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the Hawaii (island), island of Hawaii in the south to nort ...

. Due to the absence of native mammals on these islands, some of the oceanic island

taxa In biology, a taxon (back-formation from ''taxonomy''; : taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular name and ...

have reduced burrs,

evolving Evolution is the change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. It occurs when evolutionary processes such as natural selection and genetic drift act on genetic variation, resulting in certai ...

features that seem to aid in dispersal by the wind instead.

Human use and interactions

Nodding beggarticks (''B. cernua'') and hairy beggarticks (''B. pilosa'') are useful as

honey plant Honeybees often collect nectar, pollen, or both from the following species of plants, which are called honey plants, for making honey. This is not an exhaustive list of the flowering plant species Honeybees will visit. Acanthace ...

s. Several ''Bidens'' species are used as food by the

caterpillar Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder ...

s of certain

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) or lepidopterans is an order (biology), order of winged insects which includes butterflies and moths. About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera have been described, representing 10% of the total described species of living organ ...

, such as the

noctuid moth The Noctuidae, commonly known as owlet moths, cutworms or armyworms, are a family of moths. Taxonomically, they are considered the most controversial family in the superfamily Noctuoidea because many of the clades are constantly changing, along w ...

Hypercompe hambletoni ''Hypercompe hambletoni'' is a moth of the family Erebidae first described by William Schaus in 1938. It is found in Brazil. Larvae have been recorded feeding on ''Bidens'', ''Eriobotrya'', ''Gossypium'', ''Hibiscus'', ''Manihot'' and ''Ricinus ...

'' and the

brush-footed butterfly The Nymphalidae are the largest family of butterflies, with more than 6,000 species distributed throughout most of the world. Belonging to the superfamily Papilionoidea, they are usually medium-sized to large butterflies. Most species have ...

Vanessa cardui ''Vanessa cardui'' is the most widespread of all butterfly species. It is commonly called the painted lady, or formerly in North America the cosmopolitan. Description File:Vanessa cardui MHNT CUT 2013 3 14 Pontfaverger-Moronvilliers Dos. ...

'', the painted lady. The Bidens mottle virus, a

plant pathogen Plant diseases are diseases in plants caused by pathogens (infectious organisms) and environmental conditions (physiological factors). Organisms that cause infectious disease include fungi, oomycetes, bacteria, viruses, viroids, virus-like orga ...

, was first isolated from ''B. pilosa'', and it infects many other Asteraceae and plants of other families.

Native Hawaiians Native Hawaiians (also known as Indigenous Hawaiians, Kānaka Maoli, Aboriginal Hawaiians, or simply Hawaiians; , , , and ) are the Indigenous Polynesian people of the Hawaiian Islands. Hawaiʻi was settled at least 800 years ago by Polynesian ...

drink a special tea out of their leaves (known collectively as ''koʻokoʻolau'') back when they were abundant in Hawaii.

Photo gallery

File:Bidens tripartita 003.jpg File:Bidens biternata W IMG 2942.jpg File:Flor blanca (Bidens alba).jpg File:Bidens frondosa, 2021-09-15, Bird Park, 02.jpg File:BidensFrondosa9.jpg File:Bidens cernua SCA-6457.jpg File:Bidens cernua sl27.jpg

References

External links

* * * {{Authority control Asteraceae genera Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus