- You are here:
- Full Key
- All other flowering non-woody plants
- Daisies, goldenrods, and other aster family plants
- Bidens trichosperma
Bidens trichosperma — crowned beggar-ticks
Copyright: various copyright holders. To reuse an image, please click it to see who you will need to contact.
Facts
Crowned beggar-ticks is a native species of marshes and wetland margins. It is absent from northern New England. The Seminole used the whole plant internally and externally as an analgesic, febrifuge and an eye medicine.
Habitat
Anthropogenic (man-made or disturbed habitats), meadows and fields, shores of rivers or lakes, wetland margins (edges of wetlands)
New England distribution
Adapted from BONAP data
Native: indigenous.
Non-native: introduced (intentionally or unintentionally); has become naturalized.
County documented: documented to exist in the county by evidence (herbarium specimen, photograph). Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
State documented: documented to exist in the state, but not documented to a county within the state. Also covers those considered historical (not seen in 20 years).
Note: when native and non-native populations both exist in a county, only native status is shown on the map.
Found this plant? Take a photo and post a sighting.
Characteristics
- Habitat
- wetlands
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
- Rhode Island
- Leaf type
- leaves are compound (made up of two or more discrete leaflets)
- Leaf arrangement
- opposite: there are two leaves per node along the stem
- Leaf blade edges
-
- the edge of the leaf blade has no teeth or lobes
- the edge of the leaf blade has teeth
- Flower type in flower heads
-
- the flower head has disk flowers only, and lacks the strap-shaped flowers
- the flower head has tubular disk flowers in the center and ray flowers, these often strap-shaped, around the periphery
- Ray flower color
- yellow
- Tuft or plume on fruit
- there is no plume, or the plume is made up of scales, awns, a crown, or a rim
- Spines on plant
- the plant has no spines
- Leaf blade length
- 40–150 mm
- Disk flower number
-
- 21-50
- more than 50
-
Flowers
- Bases of bract appendages
- NA
- Bract cycle number
- there are two main cycles of bracts
- Bract margins
- there are fine hairs along the bract margins
- Bract outer side hair type
- the bracts are not hairy on their outer surface
- Bract outer side hairs
- the bracts are not hairy on their outer surfaces
- Bract separation
-
- at least some flower heads have bracts connected to one another at or near their bases
- the bracts appear completely unconnected to one another on all flower heads
- Bract shape
-
- the main bracts are linear (long and very narrow)
- the main bracts are oblong (roughly rectangular but rounded at the ends)
- the main bracts are of a different shape than the given options
- Bract spines
- the bracts have no spines
- Bract texture
-
- the bracts appear thin, flexible and nearly translucent
- the bracts have a similar texture to a leaf
- Bracts
- there are at least two distinct forms of bracts in different cycles
- Disk flower color
- yellow
- Disk flower lobe number
-
- 3
- 4
- 5
- Disk flower number
-
- 21-50
- more than 50
- Disk flower reproductive parts
- the disk flower has both pollen- and seed-producing parts
- Disk flower shape
- the disk flower is tube-shaped (cylindrical), or gradually widening like a funnel
- Flower head number
- each flowering stem has only one to three flower heads on it
- Flower head outer flowers
- at the outer edge of the flower head, each flower has a single enlarged lobe or strap
- Flower head platform
- the base has papery scales on it
- Flower head position
- each of the flower heads is separate on its own peduncle (stalk), not clustered in groups
- Flower head profile
-
- the disk is flat or nearly flat across the top
- the disk is rounded across the top
- Flower head shape
- the flower head is hemispherical (like the bottom half of a sphere)
- Flower type in flower heads
-
- the flower head has disk flowers only, and lacks the strap-shaped flowers
- the flower head has tubular disk flowers in the center and ray flowers, these often strap-shaped, around the periphery
- Height of flower head base
- 4–8 mm
- Inflorescence branching (Solidago)
- NA
- Inflorescence shape
-
- NA
- the inflorescence is flat-topped in profile
- Number of bracts at flower head base
- 12–21
- Ovary beak
- there is no beak on the ovary
- Ovary cross-section
-
- the ovary is compressed (flattened)
- the ovary is roughly square or with four corners
- Ovary hair type
-
- the ovary has hairs on it, but the hairs have no glands
- the ovary has no hairs on it
- Ovary hairs
-
- the ovary has hairs on it
- the ovary has no hairs on it
- Ovary lines or ribs
- there is one line or rib visible on the ovary
- Ovary profile
-
- in profile, the ovary is lance-shaped, but widest above the middle
- in profile, the ovary is oblong (roughly rectangular but rounded at the ends)
- Ovary surface
- the ovary surface is textured with tiny points, bumps or wrinkles
- Peduncle hair type
- NA
- Peduncle hairs
- the peduncles have no hairs
- Peduncle length
- 20–150 mm
- Ray flower color
- yellow
- Ray flower reproductive parts
- there are neither carpels nor stamens in the ray flowers
- Ray flowers
- 6-10
- Ray length
- 10–30 mm
- Reproductive system
- all the flowers on the plant contain both carpels and stamens
- Smaller bracts at base of bracts
- there is no smaller, outer cycle of bracts
- Style branch number
- the style has two branches
- Style branches
- the style branch is narrow at the tip, or the style branches are narrow at the tips
- Width of flower head base
- 6–12 mm
-
Fruits or seeds
- Dispersal unit
- the seeds fall off or are dispersed separately from one another
- Number of pappus parts
-
- 0
- 4
- Ovary beak length
- 0 mm
- Ovary length in developed fruit
- 3–9 mm
- Ovary width in developed fruit
- 0.9–2.5 mm
- Seed hair tuft details
- the pappus hairs are hooked or barbed
- Seed hair tuft length
- 0.4–4 mm
- Seed hair tuft tips
- the pappus hairs are slender
- Seed hairs uniform
- all the pappus hairs are approximately the same length
- Seed tuft type
- the pappus is made of stiff, tapering bristles
- Top of disk flower ovary
- the top of the ovary in fruit is flattened
- Tuft or plume on fruit
- there is no plume, or the plume is made up of scales, awns, a crown, or a rim
-
Glands or sap
- Bract resin
- the bracts have no resin or resin glands
- Leaf blade glands
- the leaf blades have no glandular (translucent) dots or scales
- Sap
- the sap is clear and watery
-
Growth form
- Growth form
- the plant has one or more free-standing stems
- Plant lifespan
-
- the plant is annual, it lacks evidence of previous years' growth
- the plant is biennial, it appears as either first year (non-reproductive) plants or second year plants with flowers or fruit
- Spines on plant
- the plant has no spines
-
Leaves
- Final leaf segment length (compound lvs only)
- 5–80 mm
- Final leaf segment width (compound lvs only)
- 0.5–12 mm
- Hairs on underside of leaf blade
-
- the underside of the leaf is fuzzy or hairy
- the underside of the leaf is not hairy, or has very few hairs
- Hairs on upper side of leaf blade
-
- the upper side of the leaf is fuzzy or hairy
- the upper side of the leaf is not hairy, or has very few hairs
- Leaf arrangement
- opposite: there are two leaves per node along the stem
- Leaf blade base
- the leaf has a distinct petiole
- Leaf blade base shape
- the base of the leaf blade is cuneate (wedge-shaped, tapers to the base with relatively straight, converging edges), or narrow
- Leaf blade edges
-
- the edge of the leaf blade has no teeth or lobes
- the edge of the leaf blade has teeth
- Leaf blade flatness
- the leaf is flat (planar) at the edges
- Leaf blade hairs
- the leaf blade has simple hairs with no glands, and not tangled or wooly
- Leaf blade length
- 40–150 mm
- Leaf blade shape
-
- the leaf blade is lanceolate (lance-shaped; widest below the middle and tapering at both ends)
- the leaf blade is ovate (widest below the middle and broadly tapering at both ends)
- the leaf blade is triangular, with the stalk or attachment point on one of the sides
- Leaf blade tip
-
- the tip of the leaf blade is acuminate (tapers to a long, thin point)
- the tip of the leaf blade is acute (sharply pointed)
- Leaf blade width
- 10–130 mm
- Leaf disposition
- the leaves are nearly similar in size, prominence of teeth, and length of stalks throughout the stem
- Leaf spines
- there are no spines on the leaf edges
- Leaf stalk
- the leaves have leaf stalks
- Leaf stalk length
- 5–20 mm
- Leaf tip extension
- NA
- Leaf type
- leaves are compound (made up of two or more discrete leaflets)
- Specific leaf type
-
- the leaf has a row of two or more lobes on each side of the central axis
- the leaf has a row of two or more lobes on each side of the central axis, and each lobe itself has rows of lobes on each side of the lobe's central axis
- the leaf has lobes that themselves have lobes, and these secondary lobes also have lobes; there may be more than three levels of lobes
- the leaf is compound, there are two or more discrete leaflets
-
Place
- Habitat
- wetlands
- New England state
-
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts
- Rhode Island
- Specific habitat
-
- edges of wetlands
- man-made or disturbed habitats
- meadows or fields
- shores of rivers or lakes
-
Stem, shoot, branch
- Flowering stem cross-section
- the flowering stem is circular, or with lots of small angles
- Leaves on stem
- there is at least one full leaf above the base of the flowering stem
- Stem internode hair direction
- NA
- Stem internode hair length
- 0 mm
- Stem internode hair type
- the stem has no hairs between the nodes
- Stem internode hairs
- the stem has no hairs between the nodes
Wetland status
Occurs only in wetlands. (Wetland indicator code: OBL)
In New England
Distribution
- Connecticut
- present
- Maine
- absent
- Massachusetts
- present
- New Hampshire
- absent
- Rhode Island
- present
- Vermont
- absent
Conservation status
Exact status definitions can vary from state to state. For details, please check with your state.
- Massachusetts
- uncommon to fairly widespread (S-rank: S3S4)
- New Hampshire
- concern (code: C)
From Flora Novae Angliae dichotomous key
15. Bidens trichosperma (Michx.) Britt. N
crowned beggar-ticks. Bidens coronata (L.) Britt.; B. coronata (L.) Britt. var. brachyodonta Fern.; B. coronata (L.) Britt. var. tenuiloba (Gray) Sherff; B. coronata (L.) Britt. var. trichosperma (Michx.) Fern. • CT, MA, RI. Low meadows, shorelines, wet ditches, margins of swamps. Bidens coronata (L.) Britt., the name long used for this plant, is a homonym and, therefore, illegitimate.
Native to North America?
Yes
Sometimes confused with
- Bidens aristosa:
- body of cypsela obovate to elliptic-obovate in outline, mostly 1.5-2 times as long as wide, 2.5-5.2 mm wide, and antrorsely ciliate and often erose-notched on the margin, and peduncles pubescent (vs. B. trichosperma, with body of cypsela narrow-oblanceolate to cuneate-oblong in outline, 2.5-4 times as long as wide, 0.9-2.5 mm wide, and antrorsely ciliate on the margin, and peduncles glabrous).
- Bidens polylepis:
- body of cypsela obovate to elliptic-obovate in outline, mostly 1.5-2 times as long as wide, 2.5-5.2 mm wide, and antrorsely ciliate and often erose-notched on the margin, and peduncles pubescent (vs. B. trichosperma, with body of cypsela narrow-oblanceolate to cuneate-oblong in outline, 2.5-4 times as long as wide, 0.9-2.5 mm wide, and antrorsely ciliate on the margin, and peduncles glabrous).
Synonyms
- Bidens coronata (L.) Britt.
- Bidens coronata (L.) Britt. var. brachyodonta Fern.
- Bidens coronata (L.) Britt. var. tenuiloba (Gray) Sherff
- Bidens coronata (L.) Britt. var. trichosperma (Michx.) Fern.