Practical
Plants

Bidens pilosa

Beggar's Ticks

an annual member of the Bidens genus in the family Compositae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Genus
Bidens
Life cycle
annual
Fertility
Bees, Hover-flies
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Bees, Hover-flies

Uses

Toxicity

Toxicity warning. The historical record reports a hazard for this plant. Do not use it to decide which parts are safe to eat or use medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The roots, leaves and flowers are strongly phototoxic, the achenes weakly so[5]. Substances isolated from the leaves can kill human skin in the presence of sunlight at concentrations as low as 10ppm[5].

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Leaves - raw or cooked[2]. A resinous flavour[1]. Added to salads or steamed and added to soups and stews, they can also be dried for later use[3].A good source of iodine[6]. A nutritional analysis is available[5]. Young shoot tips are used to make a tea[2].

Plant part
Leaves
Product or use
Tea

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

A juice made from the leaves is used to dress wounds and ulcers[5][6]. A decoction of the leaves is anti-inflammatory, styptic and alterative[5]. The whole plant is antirheumatic, it is also used in enemas to treat intestinal ailments[5]. Substances isolated from the leaves are bactericidal and fungicidal, they are used in the treatment of thrush and candida[5].

Product or use
Alterative
Product or use
Antifungal
Product or use
Antiinflammatory
Product or use
Antirheumatic
Product or use
Styptic

Environment

Range
New Zealand. A pantropical weed[6].
Habitat
Damp lowland fields and wasteland, North and Kermadec Islands[7]. Moist, open neglected places at elevations of 700 - 2000 metres in Nepal[6].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - sow early spring in a greenhouse and only just cover the seed. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in May. Alternatively, a sowing in situ in mid to late spring can be tried.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will succeed outdoors in Britain, though it should be possible to grow it as a spring-sown annual. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus. Succeeds in any moderately fertile moisture-retentive soil in full sun[4].

References

  1. Crowe. A. Native Edible Plants of New Zealand. Hodder and Stoughton 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-340-508302

    ↩

  2. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

    ↩1↩2

  3. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

    ↩

  4. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩

  5. Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985-00-00 ISBN 0-917256-20-4

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6↩7

  6. Manandhar. N. P. Plants and People of Nepal Timber Press. Oregon. 2002-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-527-6

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  7. Allan. H. H. Flora of New Zealand. Government Printer, Wellington. 1961-00-00

    ↩

Edit this page