''Bidens'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants t ...

s in the aster

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Asteraceae The family Asteraceae, alternatively Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae ...

.''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 a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...

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

Distribution

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

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...

and warm

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

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.

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 other plants. Description These plants range from in height. The flowers are usually yellow wi ...

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

monophyletic In cladistics for a group of organisms, monophyly is the condition of being a clade—that is, a group of taxa composed only of a common ancestor (or more precisely an ancestral population) and all of its lineal descendants. Monophyletic gr ...

.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.

Propagation

''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, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and 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 ...

. This has enabled them to colonize a wide range, including many oceanic islands. Some of these species occur only in a very restricted range and several are now threatened with

extinction Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the Endling, last individual of the species, although the Functional ext ...

, notably in the

Hawaiian Islands The Hawaiian Islands ( haw, Nā Mokupuni o Hawai‘i) are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost ...

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

taxa In biology, a taxon (back-formation from ''taxonomy''; plural 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 nam ...

have reduced burrs, evolving 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 plants. 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 Sy ...

s of certain

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) is an order of insects that includes butterflies and moths (both are called lepidopterans). About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera are described, in 126 families and 46 superfamilies, 10 percent of the total described speci ...

, such as the

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

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 ''Ricinu ...

'' 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 a redu ...

'' Vanessa cardui'', the painted lady. The

Bidens mottle virus ''Bidens mottle virus'' (BiMoV) is a pathogenic plant virus in the plant virus family ''Potyviridae''. BiMoV is a flexuous filamentous particle, 720 nm long, and belongs to the Potyviridae genus ''Potyvirus''. Like other viruses in this gen ...

, a

plant pathogen Plant pathology (also phytopathology) is the scientific study of diseases in plants caused by pathogens (infectious organisms) and environmental conditions (physiological factors). Organisms that cause infectious disease include fungi, oomy ...

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

Species

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

Bidens alba ''Bidens alba'', which belongs to the family Asteraceae, is most 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. ''Bidens'' means ...

'' (L.) DC. – romerillo * '' Bidens amplectens'' Sherff – Waianae kokoolau * '' Bidens amplissima'' Greene – Vancouver Island beggarticks * '' Bidens aristosa'' (Michx.) Britt. – bearded beggarticks, long-bracted beggarticks, tickseed sunflower, western tickseed * '' Bidens asymmetrica'' (Levl.) Sherff – Koolau kokoolau, Ko'olau Range beggarticks * '' Bidens aurea'' (Ait.) Sherff – Arizona beggarticks * '' Bidens beckii'' – Beck's water-marigold, Henderson's water-marigold, Oregon water-marigold * '' Bidens bidentoides'' (Nutt.) Britt. – Delmarva beggarticks * '' Bidens bigelovii'' 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 cabopulmensis'' * '' Bidens campylotheca'' 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) – nodding beggarticks, nodding bur-marigold * '' Bidens cervicata'' Sherff – Kauai beggarticks * '' Bidens chippii'' (M.B.Moss) Mesfin * '' Bidens conjuncta'' 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 certa ...

''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 ''Coreopsis nuecensis'', the crown tickseed, is a North American plant species of '' Coreopsis'' in the family Asteraceae. It is native to Texas, Louisiana, and probably Tamaulipas. There are reports of isolated populations in Michigan and Florid ...

'' (L.) Britt. – crowned beggarticks * '' Bidens cosmoides'' (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'' Fern. – Eaton's beggarticks, ''bident d'Eaton'' * '' Bidens ferulifolia'' (Jacq.) DC. – Apache beggarticks, fern-leaved beggarticks * '' Bidens forbesii'' 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 in

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...

. * '' 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'' Gray – Rocky Mountain beggarticks * '' Bidens hillebrandiana'' (Drake) O.Deg. – seacliff beggarticks * ''

Bidens hyperborea ''Bidens hyperborea'' (common names estuary beggarticks, northern beggar-ticks or estuary bur-marigold) is a coastal species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It grows along the coasts of Hudson Bay, the Arctic Ocean, and the North Atl ...

'' Greene – estuary beggarticks, coastal beggarticks, northern estuarine beggarticks, seacliff beggarticks * '' Bidens laevis'' (L.) B.S.P. – smooth beggarticks, smooth bur-marigold, larger bur-marigold. Smooth beggarticks (''B. laevis'') is a common fall

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechanis ...

in the southeastern United States. * '' Bidens lemmonii'' 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 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'' Brandegee ''–'' Cape beggar's tick, Baja tickseed * '' Bidens parviflora'' * '' Bidens pachyloma'' – Meskel Flower * '' Bidens pilosa'' 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'' 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'' Sherff – Mt. Kahili beggarticks * '' Bidens vulgata'' Greene – big devil's beggarticks, tall beggarticks, tall bur-marigold, western sticktight * '' Bidens wiebkei'' 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 or Mexican aster, 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 ornamental ...

'' Cav. (as ''B. formosa'' (Bonato) Sch.Bip.) *'' Melanthera nivea'' (L.) Small (as ''B. nivea'' L.) *'' Salmea scandens'' (L.) DC. (as ''B. scandens'' L.) *''

Thelesperma megapotamicum ''Thelesperma megapotamicum'' is a perennial species of flowering plant in the aster family known by the common name wild tea and rayless greenthread. It is native to sections of the Americas, including the central United States, where it grows i ...

'' (Spreng.) Kuntze (as ''B. megapotamica'' Spreng.)

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

* * * {{Taxonbar, from=Q157173 Asteraceae genera Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus