Beggar's Ticks, Blackjack, Hairy beggarticks

Bidens pilosa

Physical Characteristics

Bidens pilosa is a ANNUAL growing to 1 m (3ft 3in). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 9. It is in flower from May to October. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Bees, hover-flies. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil.

Distribution

New Zealand. A pantropical weed[272].

Habitats

Cultivated Beds;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Leaves Shoots Edible Uses: Tea Leaves - raw or cooked[177]. A resinous flavour[173]. Added to salads or steamed and added to soups and stews, they can also be dried for later use[183].A good source of iodine[272]. A nutritional analysis is available[218]. Young shoot tips are used to make a tea[177]. Edible Uses & Rating Leaves edible fresh or cooked, flowers for tea. Seeds inedible due to barbs [2-3]. Edibility rating: (4/5). Taste, Processing & Kitchen Notes: Flavor similar to lettuce with marine, resinous nuance that softens when boiled. Boiling removes bitterness; resulting greens mild, tender, and bright green. Excellent in soups, stir-fries, or with fish dishes. Tea from leaves or flowers is reddish-brown, pleasant, and earthy. Cypselae can technically yield a beverage after toasting, pounding, boiling, and filtering, though collection and processing are impractical and hazardous. Seasonality (Phenology): Grows spring to frost; flowers summer–autumn; leaves tender until late bloom [2-3]. Harvest & Processing Workflow: Harvest tender shoots and young leaves pre-flowering; boil briefly, or dry for tea. Avoid mature seeding plants [2-3]. Cultivar/Selection Notes: No formal cultivars; landraces vary regionally. Look-Alikes & Confusion Risks: Similar to B. alba and B. odorata; identified by white rays and black, four-awned seeds. Traditional / Indigenous Use Summary: Used across the tropics for wound healing, malaria, stomach upset, and inflammation. Consumed as a staple leafy vegetable in Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America. Overall Plant Summary: A global wild vegetable and medicinal herb, resilient, nutritious, and ecologically beneficial—proof that a “weed” can be valuable food.

Medicinal Uses

Alterative Antifungal Antiinflammatory Antirheumatic Styptic A juice made from the leaves is used to dress wounds and ulcers[218, 272]. A decoction of the leaves is anti-inflammatory, styptic and alterative[218]. The whole plant is antirheumatic, it is also used in enemas to treat intestinal ailments[218]. Substances isolated from the leaves are bactericidal and fungicidal, they are used in the treatment of thrush and candida[218].

Known Hazards

The roots, leaves and flowers are strongly phototoxic, the achenes weakly so[218]. Substances isolated from the leaves can kill human skin in the presence of sunlight at concentrations as low as 10ppm[218]. Avoid ingestion of cypselae; awns cause choking risk. Leaves safe cooked. Avoid contaminated urban sites.