Bidens aurea

Common Name: Arizona beggarstick 
Type: Herbaceous perennial
Family: Asteraceae
Native Range: Southern United States to Guatemala
Zone: 5 to 8
Height: 3.00 to 4.00 feet
Spread: 2.00 to 3.00 feet
Bloom Time: September to October
Bloom Description: Yellow
Sun: Full sun
Water: Medium
Maintenance: Low
Flower: Showy

Culture

Easily grown in average, medium, well-drained soil in full sun.

Noteworthy Characteristics

Bidens aurea, commonly called tickseed or beggar's ticks, is a spreading perennial which features cosmos-like flowers with yellow rays and darker yellow centers atop erect, willowy stems rising to 4' tall. Blooms in autumn. Seeds easily adhere to clothing or animal fur thus facilitating easy dispersal.

Genus name comes from the Latin words bis meaning twice and dens meaning a tooth.

Specific epithet means golden.

Two-pronged seed (a spined achene), which purportedly resembles the shape of a tick gives rise to the common name.

Problems

No serious insect or disease problems.

Uses

Borders, prairies, wild or naturalized areas.