Bidens pilosa

Common beggar-ticks, Common Beggar-Ticks

Family: Asteraceae · Type: annual · Not Native

Common beggar-ticks is a naturalized annual found in central and southern coastal California in disturbed sites at elevations generally up to 750 meters. Flowering all year, this plant produces white or yellow flowers in small heads with vestigial white ray flowers. Growing with erect square stems 30 to 180 centimeters tall, it has a glabrous or softly hairy structure. Its pinnate leaves have 3 to 5 lanceolate to ovate leaflets 2 to 6 centimeters long, often with asymmetric bases and serrated edges. The fruit is a narrow black 4-angled achene 4 to 16 millimeters long with 2 to 4 yellow bristle-like awns.

Habitat: Disturbed sites

Bloom period: All year

Elevation: generally <= 750 m

Bioregions: CW, SW

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.