Bidens tripartita
Threelobe beggarticks
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Family: Asteraceae · Type: Herb · Not Native
Bidens tripartita (Threelobe beggarticks) is a non-native California herb in the Asteraceae family, recognized by . Key features are simple leaves, generally no rays, and black-lined bracts.
Threelobe beggarticks is a naturalized annual found in central Sierra Nevada and Great Valley bioregions in freshwater wetlands at elevations of 50 to 1,600 meters. Flowering from July to August, this plant produces yellow-brown disk flowers in heads approximately 2 centimeters wide with distinctive spreading outer phyllaries. Growing with erect glabrous stems 40 to 150 centimeters tall, it develops a robust upright structure. Its leaves are simple and petioled, with lanceolate blades up to 20 centimeters long that have serrated edges. The fruit is a distinctive wedge-shaped structure with 2 to 3 angled surfaces bearing small ascending and reflexed barbs.
Identification and appearance
Key characters: 4 sympatric species. Key features are simple leaves, generally no rays, and black-lined bracts.
Habitat and range
Habitat: Freshwater wetlands
Elevation: 50-1600 m
Outside California: native to eastern North America, Europe
Bloom period
Bidens tripartita blooms Jul-Aug.
How to tell it apart
vs Tagetes: Tagetes has strongly scented gland-dotted leaves; Bidens lacks strong scent and glands.; vs Dahlia: Dahlia has showy ray flowers and tuberous roots; Bidens often lacks rays and has fibrous roots.; vs Arnica: Arnica has opposite leaves throughout and mountain habitat; Bidens has mostly alternate leaves in wetlands.; vs Cosmos: Cosmos has finely dissected feathery leaves; Bidens has broader, less divided leaves.; vs Helianthus: Helianthus has rough sandpapery leaves and unbarbed pappus; Bidens has barbed stick-tight seeds.
Frequently asked questions
Is Bidens tripartita native to California?
No. Bidens tripartita is not native to California (recorded as not native).
When does Bidens tripartita bloom?
Bidens tripartita blooms Jul-Aug.
What plant family does Bidens tripartita belong to?
Bidens tripartita is in the Asteraceae family, genus Bidens.
What habitat does Bidens tripartita grow in?
Bidens tripartita grows in Freshwater wetlands.
Related species
Other California species in the same genus, family, or bioregion.
- Bidens vulgata — Big devils beggartick
- Bidens cernua — Nodding bur-marigold
- Bidens frondosa — Sticktight
- Bidens laevis — Bur-marigold
- Bidens pilosa — Common beggar-ticks
- Bidens sp.
- Blennosperma bakeri — Sonoma sunshine
- Blennosperma nanum — Common stickyseed
- Blennosperma nanum var. nanum — Common blennosperma
Sources: Jepson eFlora · Index of California Plant Names · CalPhotos
Last updated 2026-10-07
Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Cal-IPC, and more.