Bidens Pilosa Weed

Common beggar ticks spanish needles.

Bidens pilosa weed. Bidens is in the aster family a dicot with a root that goes vertical not horizontal. This species has high reproductive potential and fast growing rates which are traits enabling it to rapidly spread and colonize new area. In china the many species and varieties of bidens are often lumped under the names xian feng cao abundant weed or gui zhen cao demon spike grass ghost needle weed cao but each species see similarly used species above will sometimes have a different chinese common name. Bidens pilosa a herb known as hairy beggarsticks often used in brazil and other countries in the topical treatment of dermatosis is frequently associated to the aggravation of the dermatologic condition by the own patient.

Cobbler s pegs bidens pilosa is well known as a weed of gardens parks crops pastures roadsides disturbed sites and waste areas but it also invades waterways rainforest margins open. Demon spike grass or ghost needle weed in taiwan bidens species are called ham hong chho. Bidens pilosa is a widespread weed of tropical subtropical and warm temperate regions of the world. Bidens pilosa also called bidens leucantha is the main species used for medicinal studies but there are a number of other varieties in the bidens genus that historical use and early studies suggest can also be used.

Click on an acronym to view each weed list or click here for a composite list of weeds of the u s. Hawaiian ecosystems at risk project biological resources. Bidens subalternans on the other hand has leaflets that are pinnatifid the leaflets cut into lobes on both sides of the midrib. Bidens pilosa is an annual species of herbaceous flowering plant in the daisy family asteraceae its many common names include black jack beggarticks farmer s friends and spanish needle but most commonly referred to as cobblers pegs it is native to the americas but is widely distributed as an introduced species in other regions worldwide including eurasia africa australia south america.

There are hundreds of species authorities differ on the exact amount. The entire plant is medicinally active including the roots. Information index for selected alien plants in hawaii 20 october 2003. Bidens pilosa is an annual plant producing an erect much branched stem up to 100cm tall though the plant can often flower seed and then die when much smaller.

The plant is gathered from the wild for local use as a food and medicine.