# White beggarticks (*Bidens alba*) White beggarticks are cheerful little flowers that grow in sunny places. They have bright yellow centers and white petals, making them look like tiny stars in the grass! - **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Snaps:** 18 - **Habitat:** Urban areas - **Also known as:** Spanish needle ![White beggarticks](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Bidens_alba_%28Spanish_needle%29_%286946051637%29.jpg&width=800) Photo: Bob Peterson from North Palm Beach, Florida, Planet Earth!, CC BY-SA 2.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bidens_alba_%28Spanish_needle%29_%286946051637%29.jpg) ## Appearance The White beggarticks has bright white ray florets surrounding a cheerful yellow center, resembling a small daisy. Its leaves are typically dark green and deeply lobed, giving the plant a bushy appearance. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Plantae - **Phylum:** Tracheophyta - **Class:** Magnoliopsida - **Order:** Asterales - **Family:** Asteraceae - **Genus:** Bidens ## Interesting facts - It's an amazing pioneer, often the first plant in new spots! - Its 'beggarticks' name comes from seeds that cling like ticks! - Sometimes it's called 'Spanish Needles' for its sharp, skinny seeds! - You can actually eat the young leaves of this plant! ## Special abilities - **Sticky Seed Surfer:** White beggarticks has barbed seeds that hitch rides on animals and clothes, helping it spread far and wide. - **Quick Colonizer:** This plant can grow super fast, quickly filling in sunny, open areas after soil has been disturbed. - **Sweet Nectar Beacon:** White beggarticks produces sugary nectar, attracting many different kinds of busy bees and butterflies. ## Measurements & details - **Height:** 30-180 cm - **Spread:** 30-60 cm - **Flower Size:** 1.5-3 cm - **Bloom Season:** Summer, Fall - **Edible:** Yes - **Toxicity:** None - **Lifecycle:** Annual - **Pollination Method:** Insect ## Ecological connections - **Pollinates:** Honey bee (*Apis mellifera*) — Collects nectar and pollen from flowers. - **Pollinates:** [Monarch butterfly](https://www.snappit.app/explore/monarch-butterfly) (*Danaus plexippus*) — Feeds on nectar, helping spread pollen. - **Eaten by:** [Eastern cottontail](https://www.snappit.app/explore/eastern-cottontail) (*Sylvilagus floridanus*) — Graze on leaves and stems of young plants. - **Eaten by:** [White-tailed deer](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-tailed-deer) (*Odocoileus virginianus*) — Browses on the foliage, especially new growth. ## Traits - [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle. - [Summer Blooming](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/summer-blooming): Summer blooming plants produce their flowers during the summer season, often providing vibrant color when many other plants have finished. - [Fragrant Flower](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/fragrant-flower): Fragrant flowers emit a pleasant aroma, often to attract pollinators or for defense. - [Edible](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/edible): Edible plants are those parts of a plant that are considered safe for human consumption. - [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms. - [Rapid Growing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/rapid-growing): Rapid growing plants exhibit accelerated growth rates, quickly increasing in size and biomass within a short period. - [Urban Friendly](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/urban-friendly): This habitat trait indicates species that can coexist with humans in urban and suburban environments, utilizing man-made structures and green spaces. ## Collections - [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants) ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low Always look but don't touch flowers without asking an adult, as some plants can be tricky! ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify White 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 White beggarticks? 30-180 cm ### How wide does White beggarticks spread? 30-60 cm ### How big are the flowers on White beggarticks? 1.5-3 cm ### When does White beggarticks bloom? Summer, Fall ### Is White beggarticks edible? Yes ### Is White beggarticks toxic? None ### What is White beggarticks's lifecycle? Annual ## Where to spot - [Bainbridge Commercial Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/bainbridge-commercial-historic-district) — Georgia, US · Historic District - [Fort Brown](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/fort-brown) — US · Historic Site - [Ortega](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/ortega) — Florida, US · Neighborhood - [Silver Springs](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/silver-springs) — Florida, US · Zoo - [Algiers Point](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/algiers-point) — Louisiana, US · Neighborhood - [Ardsley Park-Chatham Crescent Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/ardsley-park-chatham-crescent-historic-district) — Georgia, US · Historic District [View all places to see White beggarticks](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/white-beggarticks) ## 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*) --- Source: [White beggarticks: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-beggarticks)