Bidens aristosa (Tickseed Beggarticks, ETC.) between the two ponds in the back of the farm on 9-10-23, #960-10.

Tickseed Beggarticks, Bearded Beggarticks, Tickseed Sunflower, Western Tickseed, Long-Bracted Beggarticks, Bur Marigold, Swamp Marigold, Yankee Lice

Bidens aristosa

BY-denz  a-ris-TOE-suh

Synonyms of Bidens aristosa (9) (Updated on 11-29-23): Bidens aristosa var. fritcheyi Fernald (1913), Bidens aristosa f. fritcheyi (Fernald) Wunderlin (1973), Bidens aristosa var. mutica (A.Gray) Gatt. ex Fernald (1913), Bidens aristosa f. mutica (Gray) Wunderlin (1973), Bidens aristosa var. typica Sherff (1948)(not validly publ.) Coreopsis aristata Willd. (1803), Coreopsis aristosa Michx. (1803), Coreopsis aristota var. mutica A.Gray (1867), Diodonta aristosa Nutt. (1841)

Bidens aristosa (Michx.) Britton is the accepted scientific name for this species of Bidens. It was named and described by Nathaniel Lord Britton in the Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club in 1893. It was first named Coreopsis aristosa by André Michaux in Flora Boreali-Americana in 1803.

Plants of the World Online lists Bidens polylepis S.F.Blake is an accepted species which some authors treat as a synonym of Bidens aristosa. It was named and described as such by Sidney Fay Blake in Proceeding of the Biological Society of Washington in 1922. Plants of the World Online lists nine synonyms of this species.

The genus, Bidens L., was described by Carl von Linnaeus in the second volume of the first edition of Species Plantarum in 1753. 

As of 11-29-23 when this page was last updated, Plants of the World Online by Kew lists 222 species in the Bidens genus. Bidens is a member of the plant family Asteraceae with 1,702 genera. Those numbers could change as updates are made on POWO. The number of genera fluctuates often. 

The above distribution map for Bidens aristosa is from Plants of the World Online by Kew areas in green are where the species is native and purple where it has been introduced. The map on the USDA Plants Database for the United States and Canada is, umm, different. 

Plants of the World Online used data for their maps from Flora of North America. The USDA gets their data from BONAP (The Biota of North America Program). POWO and FNA accept Bidens aristosa and Bidens polylepis as accepted species. The USDA and BONAP says Bidens polylepis is a synonym of of Bidens aristosa… So, the reason the USDA map for B. aristosa shows a wider range is because it is for B. aristosa and the synonym (according to them) B. polylepis… That’s fine since both species are so similar

The above distribution map for Bidens polylepis is from Plants of the World Online. If you put both maps together, it will be similar to USDA’s map for Bidens aristosa (with Bidens polylepis as a synonym).

The map on iNaturalist shows where members have made observations. Anyone can join and it is a great website to confirm and share your observations. The maps on iNaturalist are continually updated as members post new observations. I post all my observations on iNaturalist. It’s addictive!

The wildflower websites I have checked list one species or the other but rarely both. When I first took photos of this species in 2018, I was using the Missouri Plants website to figure out the species and looked like Bidens aristosa according to their descriptions and photos. When I started using iNaturalist in 2019, I uploaded photos and their first suggestion was B. aristosa with B. polylepis as the second. I submitted the observation as B. aristosa and it became research grade. 

THERE ARE SEVERAL LINKS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE FOR FURTHER READING AND “POSSIBLY” HELP WITH POSITIVE ID…

Bidens aristosa is an annual or biennial wildflower that is found throughout Missouri and and  much of the midwestern United States eastward and into Canada. This species is quite a showy in large colonies with its bright yellow flowers.

Despite the summer of 2023 being very hot and dry, the Bidens aristosa did quite well for a species that prefers moist soil.

Here on the farm, Bidens aristosa mainly grow close to the pond in a few nice colonies in the back of the farm. The photo was taken in a pasture next to land a friend owns south of town on September 14, 2020. I have to use the gate of his neighbors property to get to his. He also owns a farm across the highway (where he lives) where there is a great wooded area to go wildflower hunting. Anyway, the pasture where I took the above photo (and six more at the bottom of the page) is in a low area along East Tebo Creek.

This species prefers full sun in moist to wet conditions and organic rich soil. Eve though their “preference” is soil, they are also fairly drought tolerant. This species has a tendency to get carried away, so I wouldn’t necessarily recommend planting it on purpose (like in a wildflower garden).

Plants grow from 1-4’ tall from a fibrous or sometimes branching root system. The stems usually branch out somewhat and have green, reddish, or mottled stems. They have 4 rounded angles and are glabrous (hairless) to slightly hairy (sparsely antrorse-pubescent).

Leaves are opposite, petiolate, deeply lobed or pinnately compound with lanceolate to liner sharply toothed leaflets.

Stems terminate with single or loose clusters of flower heads (the entire structure is called a “head” in the plant family Asteraceae).

When identifying many plants whose flowers look like other species, you may have to look at many features. Flip the flowers over and look at their undersides…

The involucre consists of 8-25 outer bracts, 4-12 mm long, that are spreading or reflexed, linear, and often twisted… The margins of the bracts usually have short, spreading hairs while the inner surface is glabrous (without hairs)… The inner bracts, 6-8, are 4-12 mm long, narrowly lanceolate to narrowly ovate, glabrous… Chaffy bracts are narrowly lanceolate, usually with brownish margins and tips, and are glabrous. Missouri Plants does not have Bidens polylepis but mentions it is very similar on the B. aristosa page…

Hmmm… Involucre… The definition is a whorl or rosette of bracts surrounding an inflorescence (especially capitulum) or at the base of an umbel… My baldness is not just because of heredity… Some sites are calling them phyllaries. OH, the capitulum is the flower head, the whole thing…

Individual flowerheads are about 2” across and consist of 5-10 sterile yellow ray florets (petals, corollas) and 20-80 disc florets. The ray florets are rounded and may have 2-3 shallow notches.

The disc florets are called perfect flowers because they contain both male and female parts. Each disc florets has an ovary topped by a funnel-shaped corolla that is 5-lobed, spreading to erect, surrounded by bristles called a pappus with 2 teeth (awns) that are erect to spreading during fruiting. From the corolla tube emerge the stigma and style. The male parts are apparently at the top of the corolla tube of the female flower and consist of 5 stamens, pale yellow filaments, and purplish-brown anthers that are united around the style. 

The above photo is from Phyto Images. Photos on that site can be used for non-commercial and educational purposes for free. For use in commercial applications, you have to contact the website and there is a fee. I will remove this photo if I am able to take my own, which would be very difficult…

The seeds, called achenes, are short, slender and wedge-shaped with two barbs which stick to animal fur and pant legs. I think barbs are the remains of the pappus bristles. The achenes are flattened with 3-angled ridges and have short, stiff pustular-based hairs giving them a rough texture. 

Flowers are pollinated by many species of bees, flies, butterflies, wasps, skippers and beetles that feed on the nectar. Several caterpillars of butterflies and moths feed on the flowerheads and leaves. The seeds are eaten by birds and small rodents…

For 2024, I will take more photos of the Bidens aristosa and try to take better close-ups and photos of the seeds.

THERE ARE MORE PHOTOS UNDER THE LINKS FOR FURTHER READING…

I live on a small farm in Windsor, Missouri where I enjoy gardening, collecting plants, and identifying wildflowers. The farm is in Pettis County but Henry County is across the street, and Benton and Johnson aren’t far away. I have grown over 500 different plants and identified over 250 species of wildflowers (most have pages listed on the right side of the page). I am not an expert, botanist, or horticulturalist. I just like growing, photographing, and writing about my experience. I rely on several websites for ID and a horticulturalist I contact if I cannot figure them out. Wildflowers can be somewhat variable from location to location, so sometimes it gets a bit confusing. If you see I have made an error, please let me know so I can correct what I have written.

I hope you found this page useful and be sure to check the links below for more information. They were written by experts and provide much more information. If you can, I would appreciate it if you would click on the “Like” below and leave a comment. It helps us bloggers stay motivated. You can also send an email to me at thebelmontrooster@yahoo.com. I would enjoy hearing from you.

The Illinois Wildflowers link is for Bidens polylepis…

FOR FURTHER READING:
PLANTS OF THE WORLD ONLINE (GENUS/SPECIES)
INTERNATIONAL PLANT NAMES INDEX (GENUS/SPECIES)
TROPICOS (GENUS/SPECIES)
FLORA OF MISSOURI (GENUS/SPECIES)
FLORA OF NORTH AMERICA (GENUS/SPECIES)
WORLD FLORA ONLINE (GENUS/SPECIES)
WIKIPEDIA (GENUS/SPECIES)
DAVE’S GARDEN
MISSOURI PLANTS
MSU-MIDWEST WEEDS AND WILDFLOWERS
USDA PLANTS DATABASE
USDA PLANT FACT SHEET
iNATURALIST
ILLINOIS WILDFLOWERS
LADY BIRD JOHNSON WILDFLOWER CENTER
KANSAS WILDFLOWERS AND GRASSES
WILDFLOWER SEARCH
NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY
GO BOTANY

NOTE: The data (figures, maps, accepted names, etc.) may not match on these websites. It depends on when and how they make updates and when their sources make updates. Some websites have hundreds and even many thousands of species to keep up with. Accepted scientific names change periodically and it can be hard to keep with as well. Some of the links may use a name that is a synonym on other sites. In my opinion, Plants of the World Online by Kew is one of the most reliable and up-to-date plant databases and they make updates on a regular basis. I make updates “at least” once a year and when I write new pages or add new photos but I do get behind. We are all a work in progress. 🙂

MORE PHOTOS…

2018

 

2019

I took the above photo near the swampy area in the southeast corner of the farm. This particular plant was fairly tall.

 

<<<<2020>>>>

The above photo and next 6 were taken on a friend’s farm on 9-14-20. There are two pastures along the highway, which are kind of in a low spot, that was LOADED. Actually, I took the photos in his neighbor’s pasture…

 

 

 

Well, those photos seem pretty detailed to me. I took photos of the involucral bracts on open flowers but they were blurry. You just never know…

2023