Bidens cernua L.
Nodding beggartick, bur marigold, nodding bur marigold, sticktight
Nodding beggar-ticks, so-called because their relatively large flowers tend to face sideways or nod downwards. It is native to Eurasia and North America.
Plants: Plants can reach 13′ (4 m), but are typically a few feet in height.
Leaves: Opposite, and sessile or clasping—leaf bases wrap around the stem. Leaves are 1½–8 ⨉ ½–1″ (4–20 ⨉ 1.5–2.5 cm), and simple (unlobed).
Flowers: Composite flowers are 1–2″ (2.5–5 cm) across, and have up to eight petals, though rarely the ray flowers are missing and only the tubular disk flowers are present. The flowers are sideways-facing, rather than upward-facing.
Fruits: Fruits are brown, hard, and triangular in shape, with four barbed spears of roughly equal length called awns, designed to hook onto anything that passes by.
Habitats: Near shorelines and the edges of wetlands, in sandy or mucky soil.
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Some similar species. |
Online References:
Bidens cernua L. var. cernua
Bidens cernua L. var. dentata (Nutt.) B. Boivin
Bidens cernua L. var. elliptica Wiegand
Bidens cernua L. var. integra Wiegand
Bidens cernua L. var. minima (Huds.) Pursh
Bidens cernua L. var. oligodonta Fernald & H. St. John
Bidens cernua L. var. radiata DC.
Bidens glaucescens Greene
9/24/2012 · Squannacook River Wildlife Area, Townsend, Massachusetts 
9/16/2020 · Cathance River Nature Preserve, Topsham, Maine 
9/16/2020 · Cathance River Nature Preserve, Topsham, Maine 
9/11/2021 · Otter Brrok Preserve, Harpswell Heritage Land Trust, Harpswell, Maine 
9/11/2021 · Otter Brrok Preserve, Harpswell Heritage Land Trust, Harpswell, Maine 
9/16/2020 · Cathance River Nature Preserve, Topsham, Maine 
9/16/2020 · Cathance River Nature Preserve, Topsham, Maine 
9/11/2021 · Otter Brrok Preserve, Harpswell Heritage Land Trust, Harpswell, Maine 
9/24/2012 · Squannacook River Wildlife Area, Townsend, Massachusetts 
9/16/2020 · Cathance River Nature Preserve, Topsham, Maine 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves |
| Subclass | Asteridae | A large class that encompasses asters |
| Order | Asterales | Flowering plants with a central disk flower and surrounding petals, like daisies |
| Family | Asteraceae | The aster family, which also includes daisies and sunflowers; from the Greek ἀστήρ, “star,” for the star-shaped flowers |
| Genus | Bidens | From Latin bis, “twice,” and dens, “tooth,” for the pair of bristles on the achenes |
| Species | cernua | “Nodding” or “hanging,” referring to the flowers |
Bidens cernua description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 14 Feb 2025.
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