Smooth Beggartick

Bidens laevis

USDA, NRCS. 2018. The PLANTS Database (http://plants.usda.gov, 28 March 2018). National Plant Data Team, Greensboro, NC 27401-4901 USA.
Illustration: USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. An illustrated flora of the northern United States, Canada and the British Possessions. 3 vols. Charles Scribner’s Sons, New York. Vol. 3: 495.

What is Smooth Beggartick?

Physical Characteristics

Leaves:

• Immobile
• Sword-shaped
• Slender teeth along edge
• 2-3 inches long

Flowers:

• 1.19-2.75 inches wide
• 0.31-0.44 inches tall
• Surrounded by whorls of bracts
• Golden-yellow in color

Fruit:

• Does not open to release seed when ripe
• One seeded
• Flat or 3-4 angled
• 0.23-0.36 inches long

Stem:

• 1-3.25 feet tall

Where Does it Grow?

Smooth beggartick can be found in lakes, streams, marshes and irrigation ditches.

Pros and Cons of Smooth Beggartick

Submerged portions of all aquatic plants provide habitats for many micro and macro invertebrates. These invertebrates in turn are used as food by fish and other wildlife species (e.g. amphibians, reptiles, ducks, etc.). After aquatic plants die, their decomposition by bacteria and fungi provides food (called “detritus”) for many aquatic invertebrates.