Bidens pilosa seeds

LATIN NAME: BIDENS PILOSA

COMMON NAME: Beggarticks, Black-jack, Cobblers Pegs, Spanish Needle

Beggarticks is a modest wayside weed that has travelled the world, and it has quietly become one of the most widely distributed plants on Earth. It grows as a bushy annual, reaching a metre or more, with opposite, toothed leaves and, from summer to autumn, small, yellow, daisy-like flowers, followed by small, black, needle-like seeds with two barbed prongs that catch on fur and clothing, which is how it spreads and how it got its name. It is a weed of roadsides, fields and disturbed ground, and it is also one of the most widely used plants in traditional medicine, valued across the tropics for its many uses.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

Beggarticks has a genuine and growing place in both ecological and pharmaceutical research. As one of the most widely distributed plants in the world, it has been studied in ecology and in research on plant spread, and researchers have examined how the barbed seeds travel, how the weed spreads across the tropics and its role in disturbed ground. The plant has also been studied extensively in traditional medicine, since it is one of the most widely used medicinal plants in the tropics, valued for a great range of traditional uses, and researchers have identified a wide range of bioactive compounds in the plant and studied their potential biological activity, including antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects, while the plant is best kept as a subject of study and a traditional herb rather than a casual home remedy. For a weed of such humble appearance and such wide usefulness, beggarticks has a rich and growing record of research.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

To grow the Beggarticks from seed, ecologically, beggarticks is a generous plant of the wayside. Its yellow flowers feed bees, butterflies and other pollinators, its seeds feed birds and small mammals, and it grows quickly on disturbed ground, covering the soil where it has been turned. Its economic value lies mainly in traditional medicine and research: it is one of the most widely used medicinal plants in the tropics, valued for its many traditional uses, and researchers continue to study its bioactive compounds and their potential uses, while it is also used as a green manure and forage in some regions. To bring beggarticks on, sow the barbed seeds in pots of seed compost in spring, dust them over with a little fine soil, and keep them warm, bright and lightly watered.

sow the barbed seeds in pots of seed compost in spring, dust the young beggarticks over with a little fine soil, and keep them warm, bright and lightly watered.

LATIN NAME: Bidens pilosa

COMMON NAME: Beggarticks, Black-jack, Cobblers Pegs, Spanish Needle

Beggarticks is a modest wayside weed that has travelled the world, and it has quietly become one of the most widely distributed plants on Earth. It grows as a bushy annual, reaching a metre or more, with opposite, toothed leaves and, from summer to autumn, small, yellow, daisy-like flowers, followed by the small, black, needle-like seeds with two barbed prongs that catch on fur and clothing, which is how it spreads and how it got its name. It is a weed of roadsides, fields and disturbed ground, and it is also one of the most widely used plants in traditional medicine, valued across the tropics for its many uses.

Beggarticks belongs to the daisy family, Asteraceae, and it is native to the Americas. It has been distributed around the world as an introduced species, and it is now found in most warm regions, growing in cultivated and disturbed ground.

Positive & Encouraging Seed Germination Guide

Growing beggarticks from seed is easy and gives dependable results. The barbed seeds germinate readily in warm, moist conditions, so sow them in pots of seed compost in spring, cover them very lightly, and keep them warm, bright and evenly moist. Germination usually begins within one to three weeks. Pot the seedlings on as they grow and plant them out in a sunny or partly shaded spot in ordinary soil. The plants are tough and fast-growing, and within a season they will produce their yellow flowers and barbed seeds.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

Beggarticks has a genuine and growing place in both ecological and pharmaceutical research. As one of the most widely distributed plants in the world, it has been studied in ecology and in research on plant spread, and researchers have examined how the barbed seeds travel, how the weed spreads across the tropics and its role in disturbed ground. The plant has also been studied extensively in traditional medicine, since it is one of the most widely used medicinal plants in the tropics, valued for a great range of traditional uses, and researchers have identified a wide range of bioactive compounds in the plant and studied their potential biological activity, including antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects. For a weed of such humble appearance and such wide usefulness, beggarticks has a rich and growing record of research.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

Ecologically, beggarticks is a generous plant of the wayside. Its yellow flowers feed bees, butterflies and other pollinators, its seeds feed birds and small mammals, and it grows quickly on disturbed ground, covering the soil where it has been turned.

Its economic value lies mainly in traditional medicine and research. It is one of the most widely used medicinal plants in the tropics, valued for its many traditional uses, and researchers continue to study its bioactive compounds and their potential uses, while it is also used as a green manure and forage in some regions. For a grower, beggarticks is an easy and interesting plant, and for a gardener it brings cheerful yellow flowers and a plant at the heart of traditional healing.

This branching, upright herb grows about one metre high, its leaves divided deeply into three lobes. It has small yellow daisy-shaped flowers in clusters. A fantastic nectar plant for small, medium and large butterflies.This is a plant that should be added to every butterfly garden. Prefers full sun and flowers continuously. in some parts of the world it is a source of food or medicine.