Taxonomy

Bidens pilosa L., Sp. Pl. 2:832. 1753

Common synonyms

Acocotli quauhuahuacensis Hernandez; Bidens abadiae DC.; Bidens abadiae var. abadiae; Bidens abadiae var. pilosoides Sherff; Bidens abadiae var. typica Sherff; Bidens abortiva Schumach. & Thonn.; Bidens adhaerescens Vell.; Bidens africana Klatt; Bidens alba (L.) DC.; Bidens alba var. alba; Bidens alba var. radiata (Sch.Bip.) Ballard ex Melchert; Bidens alba var. radiata (Sch.Bip.) R.E.Ballard; Bidens alba var. radiata (Schultz-Bipontinus) R.E. Ballard; Bidens arenaria Gand.; Bidens arenicola Gand.; Bidens aurantiaca Colenso; Bidens barrancae M.E.Jones; Bidens bimucronata Turcz.; Bidens bonplandii Sch.Bip.; Bidens brachycarpa DC.; Bidens bullata var. glabrescens Fiori; Bidens bullata var. hirta (Jord.) Coste; Bidens calcicola Greenm.; Bidens californica DC.; Bidens cannabina Lam.; Bidens caracasana DC.; Bidens caucalidea DC.; Bidens cernua var. anomala Farw.; Bidens cernua var. tenuis Turcz.; Bidens cernua var. tenuis Turcz. ex DC.; Bidens chilensis DC.; Bidens chilensis var. apiifolia DC.; Bidens chilensis var. chilensis; Bidens ciliata Hoffmanns.; Bidens ciliata Hoffmanns. ex Fisch. & C.A.Mey.; Bidens coronata Fisch. ex Colla; Bidens daucifolia DC.; Bidens deamii Sherff; Bidens decussata Pav.; Bidens decussata Pav. ex DC.; Bidens decussata Pav. ex Steud.; Bidens dichotoma Desf. ex DC.; Bidens effusa Thuill.; Bidens effusa Thuill. ex Sherff; Bidens exaristata DC.; Bidens fastigiata var. hispida Jord.; Bidens fastigiata var. hispida Jord. ex Cariot & St.Lag.; Bidens ferulaefolia var. odoratissima (Cav. ex Pers.) Sherff; Bidens heterodoxa var. orthodoxa Fernald; Bidens hirsuta Nutt.; Bidens hirta Jord.; Bidens hispida Kunth; Bidens hybrida Thuill.; Bidens inermis S.Watson; Bidens leucantha (L.) Willd.; Bidens leucantha Meyen & Walp.; Bidens leucantha Poepp.; Bidens leucantha Poepp. ex DC.; Bidens leucantha var. humilis Walp.; Bidens leucantha var. leucantha; Bidens leucantha var. pilosa (L.) Griseb.; Bidens leucantha var. sundaica (Blume) Hassk.; Bidens leucanthema f. discoidea Sch.Bip.; Bidens leucanthema var. pilosa (L.) Griseb.; Bidens leucanthema var. sundaica (Blume) Hassk.; Bidens leucorrhiza (Lour.) DC.; Bidens minor (Wimm. & Grab.) Vorosch.; Bidens minuscula H.Lév. & Vaniot; Bidens monophylla Urb.; Bidens montaubani Phil.; Bidens multifida var. mutica DC.; Bidens odorata Cav.; Bidens odorata var. calcicola (Greenm.) Ballard ex Melchert; Bidens odorata var. calcicola (Greenm.) R.E.Ballard; Bidens odorata var. oaxacensis Ballard; Bidens orendainae M.E.Jones; Bidens orientalis Velen. ex Bornm.; Bidens oxyodonta DC.; Bidens paleacea Vis.; Bidens pilosa f. bimucronata (Turcz.) Sherff; Bidens pilosa f. calcicola (Greenm.) Sherff; Bidens pilosa f. discoidea Sch.Bip.; Bidens pilosa f. dissecta Sherff; Bidens pilosa f. indivisa Kayama; Bidens pilosa f. indivisa Sherff; Bidens pilosa f. monophylla (Urb.) Sherff; Bidens pilosa f. odorata (Cav.) Sherff; Bidens pilosa f. pilosior Kuntze; Bidens pilosa f. pinnata Kuntze; Bidens pilosa f. radiata Sch.Bip.; Bidens pilosa f. scandicina (Kunth) Sherff; Bidens pilosa f. simplex Sherff; Bidens pilosa f. subbiternata Kuntze; Bidens pilosa f. subsimplicifolia Kuntze; Bidens pilosa f. ternata Kuntze; Bidens pilosa f. triaristata Sherff; Bidens pilosa f. umbrosa Sherff; Bidens pilosa var. albiflora Maxim.; Bidens pilosa var. albus (L.) O.E.Schulz; Bidens pilosa var. bimucronata (Turcz.) O.E.Schulz; Bidens pilosa var. bimucronata (Turcz.) Sch.Bip.; Bidens pilosa var. brachycarpa (DC.) O.E.Schulz; Bidens pilosa var. brevifoliata Hieron.; Bidens pilosa var. calcicola (Greenm.) Scherff; Bidens pilosa var. calcicola (Greenm.) Sherff; Bidens pilosa var. chinensis L.; Bidens pilosa var. discoidea (Sch.Bip. ex Webb & Berthelot) J.A.Schmidt; Bidens pilosa var. discoidea Sch.Bip.; Bidens pilosa var. dubia (Cass.) O.E.Schulz; Bidens pilosa var. humilis (Walp.) Walp. ex Reiche; Bidens pilosa var. humilis Walp.; Bidens pilosa var. leucantha (L.) Harv.; Bidens pilosa var. minor (Blume) Sherff; Bidens pilosa var. radiata (Sch.Bip.) J.A.Schmidt; Bidens pilosa var. radiata (Sch.Bip.) Sch.Bip.; Bidens pilosa var. radiata (Sch.Bip.) Sherff; Bidens pilosa var. radiata Schultz-Bipontinus; Bidens pilosa var. typica Domin; Bidens pilosa var. typica Hochr.; Bidens pinnata Noronha; Bidens ramosissima Sherff; Bidens reflexa Link; Bidens rosea Sch.Bip.; Bidens rosea var. aequisquamosa Fernald; Bidens rosea var. calcicola Greenm.; Bidens scandicina Kunth; Bidens striata Schott; Bidens striata Schott ex Sweet; Bidens sundaica Blume; Bidens sundaica var. minor Blume; Bidens taquetii H.Lév. & Vaniot; Bidens trifida Buch.-Ham.; Bidens trifida Buch.-Ham. ex Roxb.; Bidens trifoliata Norona; Bidens tripartita Bojer; Bidens tripartita f. integra (Peterm.) Koch; Bidens tripartita f. integra (Peterm.) Koch ex Beck; Bidens tripartita f. minima (Lej.) Larss.; Bidens tripartita var. cannabina (Lam.) Beckh.; Bidens tripartita var. discoidea Wimm.; Bidens tripartita var. hirta (Jord.) Sherff; Bidens tripartita var. hispida Cariot & St.-Lag.; Bidens tripartita var. indivisa Corb.; Bidens tripartita var. integra Peterm.; Bidens tripartita var. integrifolia Wirtg.; Bidens tripartita var. latifolia Rouy; Bidens tripartita var. minima Lej.; Bidens tripartita var. minor Wimm. & Grab.; Bidens tripartita var. radiata Wimm.; Bidens tripartita var. tenuis (Turcz. ex DC.) DC.; Bidens valparadisiaca Colla; Bidens viciosoi Pau; Bidens wallichii var. albiflora Max.; Bidens wallichii var. albiflora Max. ex Matsum.; Ceratocephalus pilosus Rich.; Ceratocephalus pilosus Rich. ex Cass.; Coreopsis alba L.; Coreopsis coronata L.; Coreopsis corymbifolia Buch.-Ham.; Coreopsis corymbifolia Buch.-Ham. ex DC.; Coreopsis ferulifolia var. odoratissima (Cav. ex Pers.) Pers.; Coreopsis leucantha L.; Coreopsis leucanthema L.; Coreopsis leucorrhiza Lour.; Coreopsis multifida DC.; Coreopsis multifida var. multifida; Coreopsis multifida var. mutica DC.; Coreopsis odorata Lam.; Coreopsis odorata Poir.; Coreopsis odoratissima Cav.; Coreopsis odoratissima Cav. ex Pers.; Cosmea pilosa Spreng.; Cosmea tenella Spreng.; Cosmos pilosus Kunth; Cosmos pinnatus Jacq.; Cosmos pinnatus Jacq. ex Steud.; Cosmos tenellus Kunth; Glossogyne chinensis Less.; Kerneria dubia Cass.; Kerneria leucantha Cass.; Kerneria pilosa (L.) Lowe; Kerneria pilosa var. discoidea (Sch.Bip. ex Sch.Bip.) Lowe; Kerneria pilosa var. discoidea (Sch.Bip. ex Webb & Berthelot) Lowe; Kerneria pilosa var. pilosa; Kerneria pilosa var. radiata (Sch.Bip.) Lowe; Kerneria tetragona Moench

Common name

Spanish needles, cobbler's pegs, beggar ticks, black-jack, burr marigold, pitch-forks, stick-tights, farmer's friend

Description

Propagule or dispersal unit is the fruit with pappus. Fertile part 10-23 mm long (central fruits) or 5-8 mm long (lateral fruits), 0.5-1.1 mm wide, in side view mostly +/- equal thickness (cylindrical) or widest in the middle, +/- straight, rarely conspicuously curved, the upper (apical) end narrowing, in cross-section flattened or angular (prismatic), basal scar (carpopodium) pronounced and well-differentiated, central or off to the side (oblique) or at least asymmetric, beak (=thinner sterile stalk between seed and pappus) absent, wings absent, fruit surface black, smooth (some central fruits) or with round protrusions or bumps, with no hairs (some central fruits) or simple straight hairs, thickened margin absent, longitudinal ribs present, 4-10, their surfaces as the surface between ribs.

Pappus type awns or spines, pappus elements all +/- similar, up to 1.5-4 mm long, in one row, number of pappus elements two to four (central fruits) or three to four (lateral fruits), persistent, the individual awns serrated or barbed, +/- divergent, +/- straight (central fruits) or curved (lateral fruits).

More rarely late season fruits will developed that are shorter (c. 3-4 mm body, < 2 mm pappus awns) and carry spiny bumps or warts on the surface.

Ecology

Annual herb, seeds dispersed by sticking to fur or clothes. Temperate to tropical regions. Colonises a great variety of disturbed sites, wastelands, and roadsides.

Native range

Presumably naturally widespread in temperate and tropical America between southern United States and central Argentina

Introduced range

Western, Central and Northern Europe, Israel, subsaharan Africa, Madagascar, Nepal, China, Japan, Taiwan, Phillipines, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Islands