Choose Bidens by habit: a fern-leaved trailer, tickseed sunflower for a meadow, a wet-edge kind, or alba. We list four kinds.
Choose a trailer, tickseed sunflower, wet-edge kind, or alba
| Factor | Recommended | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Hanging basket / patio spill | Fern-leaved B. ferulifolia | Goldilocks or Apache as a fifth catalog card |
| Moist meadow height | B. aristosa (tickseed sunflower) | Copying Coreopsis care onto this tag |
| Pond edge / wet ground | B. laevis | A drought gravel strip |
| Warm wildflower strip | B. alba | Spanish needles / B. pilosa as a card |
Know your USDA hardiness zone before you pick a type of bidens that will take your winter. Type your ZIP below.
2023 USDA ZIP listings (PRISM / USDA-ARS). Find Your USDA Hardiness Zone · Official USDA map.
Read the Latin on the tag. The four here are B. ferulifolia, B. aristosa, B. laevis, and B. alba. [1] Tickseed sunflower stands 2 to 4 feet in moist ditches and meadows, with barbed seed. [2]
What is the difference between ferulifolia and aristosa?
Ferulifolia is the fern-leaved trailer for pots and baskets. Aristosa is a taller meadow daisy, also called tickseed sunflower.
Browse by kind
Fern-leaved Bidens
B. ferulifolia is the fern-leaved trailer for hot sun baskets. Shops may tag it Apache beggarticks — that is this species, not a fifth kind.
Tickseed sunflower
B. aristosa is tickseed sunflower: a 2–4 ft meadow daisy with barbed seed. The name sounds like Coreopsis; the Latin is Bidens.
Smooth beggartick
B. laevis is the wet-edge kind — ponds, marshes, brook margins. Stems can flop under seed.
Common beggarticks
B. alba has white rays on a warm wildflower habit. It reseeds freely; edit seedlings if you want a contained strip.
Not Bidens — Coreopsis and Spanish needles
- Coreopsis (tickseed) is a different genus. Shops use “tickseed” for Coreopsis. B. aristosa is also called tickseed sunflower — match the Latin. Care for Coreopsis is on How to Grow Coreopsis.
- Wet-edge B. laevis can reach 6 feet and flop under seed — that is still Bidens, not a Coreopsis mound. [3]
- Spanish needles (B. pilosa) is a weedy lookalike, often mixed with alba on lists. We do not list it as a catalog card. [4]
Is this the same as Coreopsis?
No. Coreopsis is the usual shop tickseed. This page is Bidens — a trailer, tickseed sunflower, a wet-edge kind, or alba.
If the tag says tickseed and the plant is a compact border mound, you likely have Coreopsis — match the Latin Bidens.
FAQ
Do we list Goldilocks or Apache as extra kinds?
No. Apache beggarticks is a common name for ferulifolia. Goldilocks is a shop cultivar of that trailer. The four here are ferulifolia, aristosa, laevis, and alba.
Is Spanish needles this plant?
Usually no. Spanish needles is often Bidens pilosa, a weedy lookalike. Alba is the white-ray catalog kind we list.
Related guides
References
This note is part of Bidens Guides.
More type comparisons by plant are gathered in Types of Plants Guides.
Updated: Reviewed by Bosquelle Editors