Asteraceae
Bidens spp.
Beggar-ticks, Stick-tights,
     Bur-marigolds
Figures 204-206

  These are showy plants that grow to 3 feet or more in height. They have opposite leaves and yellow to yellow-orange heads of daisy-like flowers. The flower heads are subtended by 2 series or whorls of bracts; the outer bracts are green and leafy and the inner bracts are yellowish or brownish. Many achenes or nutlets are produced by each flower head. The nutlets are flat, about 1/4 inch long and topped by 2 downwardly barbed awns, The awns readily stick to clothing or the fur of animals, giving meaning to the common names.

There are at least 8 wetland species of Bidens in South Carolina. Most species are annual plants; however, B. laevis is a rhizomatous perennial. The
leaves vary greatly from simple to dissected to compound. The flowers are often very showy, reaching up to 3 inches wide in some species.

The wetland species of Bidens can usually be found in flower and fruit from September through November providing a late-season show of color at a time when other plants are beginning to die back. Some species form mats that float on the surface of the water or they grow in mats formed by other plants. They grow in marshes, swamps and wet ditches throughout South Carolina.