Quercus

Smooth Beggarticks

Bidens laevis

Native to South Carolina (estimated)

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

23CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including SC

Genus host records with ranges including SC · Bidens

  • Cecropterus lyciadesHoary Edge
  • Cecropterus pyladesNorthern Cloudywing
  • Cirrhophanus trianguliferGoldenrod Stowaway, Beggarticks Seedcropper
  • Condica confederataThe Confederate
  • Condica cupentiaSplotched Groundling
  • Condica mobilisMobile Groundling
  • Dichomeris juncidellaOrange-Dotted Dichomeris
  • Epiblema abruptanaAbrupt Epiblema
  • Epiblema otiosanaBidens Borer Moth
  • Eupithecia miserulataCommon Eupithacia, Common Pug
Show all 23
  • Homoeosoma electellaSunflower Moth
  • Nathalis ioleDainty Sulphur, Dwarf Yellow
  • Palthis asopialisFaint-Spotted Palthis
  • Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
  • Platynota stultanaOmnivorous Leafroller
  • Pyrausta tyralisCoffee-Loving Pyrausta
  • Pyrrhia exprimensPurple-Lined Sallow, Purple-Lined Sun Moth
  • Spilosoma virginicaVirginian Tiger Moth, Yellow Woolybear Moth, Yellow Bear
  • Spodoptera eridaniaSouthern Armyworm Moth
  • Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
  • Synchlora frondariaSouthern Emerald
  • Urbanus proteusLong-Tailed Skipper, Bean Leaf Roller
  • Agonopterix atrodorsella
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
76BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Bidens

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
8Specialist beesPollen specialists

Pollen specialists · Bidens

  • Andrena aliciae
  • Andrena chromotricha
  • Dianthidium curvatum
  • Dieunomia heteropoda
  • Megachile inimica
  • Megachile parallela
  • Megachile xylocopoides
  • Melissodes denticulatus
Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
10BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Bidens

  • Acanthis flammeaCommon Redpoll
  • Aix sponsaWood Duck
  • Anas platyrhynchosMallard
  • Callipepla californicaCalifornia Quail
  • Colinus virginianusNorthern Bobwhite
  • Dendrocygna bicolorFulvous Whistling-Duck
  • Fulica americanaAmerican Coot
  • Plectrophenax nivalisSnow Bunting
  • Porzana carolinaSora
  • Rallus limicolaVirginia Rail
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)
Beetles 1
  • Diabrotica 12-punctata

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

Flies 6
  • Anthrax halcyon
  • Archytas aterrima
  • Hydrophoria ambigua
  • Scepsis fulvicollis
  • Siphoplagia anomala
  • Systoechus vulgaris

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

Adult butterflies / moths 9
  • Anosia plexippus
  • Feltia subgothica
  • Heliothis armiger
  • Heliothis dipsaceus
  • Hylephila phylaeus
  • Phyciodes tharos
  • Plusia simplex
  • Vanessa atalanta
  • Vanessa huntera

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

Other wasps 4
  • Eumenes fraternus
  • Exetastes suaveolens
  • Polistes annularis
  • Polistes pallipes

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

No records yet · Ants · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Asteraceae
Hardiness
Zones 6b–11b
Soil pH
Acidic to neutral
Flower color
Brown/copper or yellow
Growth rate
Rapid
Growth habit
Single crown
Foliage color
Green
Fruit begins
Summer
Fruit ends
Fall

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
  • Bloom · “Late summer” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Flower color · “Brown/copper or yellow” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Foliage color · “Green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Fruit begins · “Summer” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Fruit ends · “Fall” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Growth habit · “Single crown” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Growth rate · “Rapid” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Hardiness · “Zones 6b–11b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Height · “About 3.3 feet” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Leaves · “Deciduous” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
  • Life cycle · “Annual” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Light · “Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Soil · “Moist; Occasionally wet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
  • Soil pH · “Acidic to neutral” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Also known as

Smooth Beggar Ticks

Conservation status

South Carolina rankNot available
Global rankG5
SC statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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