Bidens vulgata

Big devils beggartick

Family: Asteraceae · Type: annual · Not Native

Big devils beggartick is a naturalized annual found in northern coastal California and the Sacramento Valley in freshwater wetlands at elevations below 300 meters. Flowering from September to October, this plant produces yellow ray flowers 2.5 to 3.5 millimeters long with yellow disk flowers in radiate heads. Growing with erect, 4-angled stems 30 to 150 centimeters tall that are slightly puberulent, it develops a distinctive branching structure. Its pinnate leaves have 2 to 8 centimeter long lanceolate leaflets with sharp-pointed tips and serrated edges. The fruit is a 6 to 12 millimeter long wedge-shaped seed with stiff, ascending marginal hairs that help in dispersal.

Habitat: Uncommon. Freshwater wetlands

Bloom period: Sep-Oct

Elevation: < 300 m

Bioregions: NCoR, ScV

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