# Bearded Beggarticks (*bidens aristosa*)

Bearded Beggarticks are bright yellow flowers that attract many insects! They are fun to find in fields and gardens, especially during the summer months.

- **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 0/5 · No known danger
- **Habitat:** Wetlands, fields, and sunny areas near water.
- **Also known as:** Bidens

![Bearded Beggarticks](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Bidens_aristosa_3.jpg&width=800)

Photo: Robert H. Mohlenbrock @ USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / USDA NRCS. 1995. Northeast wetland flora: Field office guide to plant species. Northeast, Public domain · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bidens_aristosa_3.jpg)

## Appearance

The Bearded Beggarticks has bright yellow, daisy-like flowers, typically 2-5 cm wide, with several notched ray petals surrounding a darker orange-yellow central disk. Its slender, branching stems bear delicate, feathery green leaves.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Plantae
- **Phylum:** Tracheophyta
- **Class:** Magnoliopsida
- **Order:** Asterales
- **Family:** Asteraceae
- **Genus:** Bidens

## Interesting facts

- It's often called 'sticktights' because its seeds cling so well!
- Its bright flowers offer sweet nectar to many small insects!
- Its name, 'Bidens', means 'two teeth' for the bristles on its seeds!
- This plant is a wild cousin of sunflowers and daisies!

## Special abilities

- **Super Sticker Seeds:** Bearded Beggarticks has tiny seeds with barbed hooks that cling to animal fur and clothing, helping it spread far and wide.
- **Water Lover:** Bearded Beggarticks can thrive in very moist soils and even tolerate temporary floods, allowing it to grow where other plants cannot.
- **Backup Pollinator:** Bearded Beggarticks can self-pollinate its own flowers, ensuring it can still make seeds even when no insects are around.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 30-120 cm
- **Spread:** 30-60 cm
- **Flower Size:** 2-5 cm
- **Bloom Season:** Late summer to fall (July-October)
- **Edible:** Yes
- **Toxicity:** None
- **Lifecycle:** Annual
- **Pollination Method:** Insect

## Ecological connections

- **Pollinates:** Honey bee (*Apis mellifera*) — visits flowers for nectar
- **Pollinates:** [Monarch butterfly](https://www.snappit.app/explore/monarch-butterfly) (*Danaus plexippus*) — sips nectar from blooms
- **Eats:** [American Goldfinch](https://www.snappit.app/explore/american-goldfinch) (*Carduelis tristis*) — feeds on the plant's seeds

## Traits

- [Social](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/social): Social animals live in organized groups, cooperating for survival benefits such as foraging, defense, and raising offspring.
- [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors.
- [Herbivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/herbivorous): This trait characterizes organisms whose diet consists entirely or primarily of plant material.
- [Diurnal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/diurnal): Diurnal animals are primarily active during daylight hours, typically resting or sleeping at night.
- [Pollinator](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator): Describes organisms that transfer pollen, enabling the fertilization and reproduction of plants.

## Collections

- [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants)

## Safety

**Danger:** 0/5 · No known danger

No special safety notes yet.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Bearded Beggarticks?

Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is Bearded Beggarticks?

30-120 cm

### How wide does Bearded Beggarticks spread?

30-60 cm

### How big are the flowers on Bearded Beggarticks?

2-5 cm

### When does Bearded Beggarticks bloom?

Late summer to fall (July-October)

### Is Bearded Beggarticks edible?

Yes

### Is Bearded Beggarticks toxic?

None

### What is Bearded Beggarticks's lifecycle?

Annual

## Where to spot

- [McLean Central Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/mclean-central-park) — Virginia, US · Park
- [Potomac Hills Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/potomac-hills-park) — Virginia, US · Park

## More Plants

- [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*)
- [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*)
- [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*)
- [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*)

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Source: [Bearded Beggarticks: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/bearded-beggarticks)