Buzz the Bidens
Late bee food and rich foraging among the Spanish needles
Are you wearing any Bidens stickers this fall? We’re talking weeds, not politics, but we’re taking an unaccustomed bath in the SEO mud puddle, just to see what the search engines do. 😎 (Don’t cut and run, all you politics people who have detoured into the weeds. Hang around and learn where these sticky seeds come from, and the wild food and medicine that also comes from these plants. )
The genus name Bidens refers to a tooth (dens) shortage. Only 2 (bi) to be exact. But it turns out that there are exceptions to that rule. Each of the seeds has 2 prominent barbed teeth that cause the seeds to travel home with you on your clothing, and in the fur of your pets. If you walk in the weeds in the fall, you’ll have them, guaranteed. However many of the seeds have at least 1 additional shorter tooth, making removal an even more tedious job. Although the diverse Bidens genus (of the massive family Asteraceae), is widespread and famous, the taxonomy has remained a bit of a mess.
Being widespread to the point of invasiveness means that the Bidens genus of weeds is both a nuisance and a gift. It seems that many of these plants are known for ability to heal and tone the mucous tissues, which is a job formerly assigned to such rarities as goldenseal and yerba mansa. Those weeds are over harvested and therefore threatened, and so it’s a relief to know that the massively abundant Bidens genus can take over these functions. Those who have seen our haul of the invasive garlic mustard should know that it was dwarfed by this harvest, which could have fed plenty of chickens goats and other animals. Not to worry. Plenty of seeds were spread so they’ll be back.
Delving into the supposedly insecure regions of the web has turned up a treasure trove of traditional uses of these plants. In the Western world, Bidens alba, (white petaled blooms) and Bidens pilosa, (fine, soft hair), which are both warmer climate species, have been most popularly used as food and medicine. It seems that the distinctive Bidens bipinnata species which owns weedomland has been in extensive use in mainland China, where it is called nianshencao, or stick to the body weed. It’s also seen as grouped with other Bidens species as guizhencao. This name combines the meanings demon-gui, spike-zhen, and cao-plant, with which plenty of people heartily agree after spending hours removing the sticky seeds.
Among the western, common names for these plants are Spanish needles, bur marigold, cobblers pegs, devil’s beggar ticks, (particularly Bidens frondosa) or just simply beggars ticks.
In case your most unfavorite political party leaves you in a state of famine and starvation the bidens weeds are your friends. Many of the plants are edible, from the leaves, to the flowers. The best eating are the young leaves from the early shoots of the plants, and the blooms are tasty too. As the leaves mature, they become chewier and more strongly flavored. You can choose when that quality has gone to far for food purpose, and then reserve them for medicine. The good thing about these plants is that they keep putting out new leaves into the mid-summer and sometimes later, so that parts of them remain good eating when other greens have gone past their prime. A few stalwart souls are chewing the seeds, which, though surely a great source of fiber :-D are fairly offputting based upon their external characteristics. I find the seeds to be far too much work, but the blooms and leaves of our Bidens bipinnata are good. They’re a bit astringent, but have a nutty / mildly piney flavor that’s pleasant, but hard to describe. Grazing the raw weeds for awhile leaves a slight puckery feeling in the mouth. Cooking the leaves mitigates this. Bidens species with edible leaves include B. alba, pilosa, bipinnata, frondosa, tripartita, odorata, parvifolia, laevis and likely many more. For weedom readers in far flung regions: think about locating those weeds that are leaving you covered with elongated, barbed seeds, then see if they belong to one of these known food species.
The Bidens genus may include ~ 240 or more species, though, as usual, the delineation between them is often a matter of debate. Many of the species have multiple synonymous names.
Here’s some botanical detail of our Bidens bipinnata, which is very comfortable in our USDA zone 6, as well as much of North America, Asia, and Europe. It also has footholds in South America, Africa and Australia. Preferring at least partially shady areas, this plant is a colonizer of disturbed places, often appearing to heal the soil after fires and other disturbances.
Leaves (2-8 inches (5-20cm) in length, are smooth, and 2-3 times divided into pinnately arranged lobular segments giving a fernlike appearance. Leaf petioles are concave on the top. Stems are widely and oppositely branched and usually hairless in appearance. Wander back to the Ambrosia artemisiifolia, ragweed article to see some side by side pictures of the lookalikes.
Blooms are composite with tubular disk flowers, arranged in a 1/4 inch, (6 mm) head, and often surrounded by up to 5 short ray flowers. Sometimes these ‘petals’ are absent or irregular in number. 2 series of very narrow bracts surround the base of the flower head as seen below.
The fruits are long, very narrow achenes with 2-4 barbed spikes (awns) on 1 end, which easily cling to passers by, and are removed only with difficulty.
As is the case with other edible weeds, the medicinal qualities are obtained by using high doses. Chinese formularies specify uses of these cooling and drying weeds to clear superficial heat, addressing such maladies as colds and flu, clearing heat and toxins to address sore throat, insect bites, and snake bites, and appendicitis, and clearing away damp heat to address GI ailments such as dysentery and diarrhea. Naturally the cooling weed is also used to address inflammations such as rheumatoid arthritis. Doses in Traditional Chinese Medicine have ranged from 15 grams dried material per day for common cold to a bulky 60 to 120 grams daily in 4 divided doses in aqueous decoctions for acute appendicitis. The fresh herb is prepared in boiling water to produce washes for external wounds and used topically for bacterial and fungal infections. Kiva Rose touts the herb particularly as a soothing and tightening to inflamed mucous tissues, and considers it a vital addition to relieve inflamed bladder tissue, during and after the treatment for infection. The astringency helps to reduce blood flow. This herb has also been applied for the healing of ulcers. It has been used along with saw palmetto and white sage to address benign prostatic hypertrophy.
The extracts of Bidens species have been shown to inhibit bacteria, fungi and viruses, and to exert anti-inflammatory activity. Compounds of interest within the flavonoid, sesquiterpene and polyacetylene classes have been studied for antimicrobial, anti diabetic, anti-cancer, and anti-inflammatory activities. Also found within Biden species have been various alkaloids, volatile oils, tannins, saponins and cyanogenic glycosides. Because of this medicinal chemistry, there can always be too much of a good thing.
Bidens pilosa has been used in the Amazon regions to address malaria. The polyacetylene extracts of this plant appear to be photoactivated by exposure to UV light, and rendered more potent against the malarial parasite. Enhanced antimicrobial activity of these compounds has also been observed with exposure to light as compared to usage in dark conditions.
Nutritionally the edible Bidens are considered nutritionally superior to cultivated spinach. These plants do have generous root systems which can tap into the minerals. They are effective as a cover plant and source of compost to enrich the soil. Jon Jandai notes that Spanish needles has recently become abundant in his part of Thailand, and he’s been chopping and dropping his plants to protect and feed the soil, as well as eating them. He’s quite the chef, and has a method of briefly boiling the leaves for about 2-3 minutes. He then rinses them immediately in cool water to better retain the green color, flavor and texture, so that it’s sufficiently attractive to be plated at a fine restaurant. His crop has white flowers, and looks a good deal like Bidens alba. It’s interesting that he doesn’t spice up his weeds. They have such a prominent flavor so that little augmentation is needed.
In my thinking, a bit of oil, cheese or nuts will compliment the flavor of the Bidens bipinnata that I’ve been grazing. Pesto and cheesy spanish needle dip are what’s on the agenda for me.
Lastly, for all who made it to the end, Bidens pilosa has become famous in the cosmetics industry. It seems that people have gotten tired of retinol containing, anti wrinkle creams because they redden the skin, and cause worse problems with exposure to sunlight. Plant derived substitutes are the rage, and a phytol containing extract of B. pilosa seems to have a salutory effect on collagen and elastin production similar to retinol, but with fewer liabilities and contra-indications. Supposedly the plant extract is safer for use while breastfeeding.
Have you found a suitable Bidens species in your neighborhood, and do you have plans for it? Inquiring minds want to know.
Where We Dig
1. Bidens tripartita (Three-Parted Beggarticks). The Belmont Rooster. November 24, 2022. Accessed September 29, 2025. https://thebelmontrooster.com/families-of-familiar-plants/asteraceae-compositae-family/bidens-tripartita-three-parted-beggarticks/
2. Spanish Needles - Plant Identification by Pamela Borden Trewatha, Ph.D. - Darr College of Agriculture - Missouri State. Accessed September 30, 2025. https://Ag.MissouriState.edu/PBTrewatha/spanish-needles.htm
3. Bidens tripartita (Three-lobed Beggarticks): Minnesota Wildflowers. Accessed September 30, 2025. https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/flower/three-lobed-beggarticks
4. Bidens in Flora of North America @ efloras.org. Accessed September 30, 2025. http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=103917
5. Bidens bipinnata Spanish Needles PFAF Plant Database. Accessed September 29, 2025. https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Bidens+bipinnata
6. Bidens bipinnata (Spanish Needles) - FSUS. Accessed September 30, 2025. https://fsus.ncbg.unc.edu/show-taxon-detail.php?taxonid=5799
7. Bidens. Accessed September 29, 2025. http://www.itmonline.org/arts/bidens.htm
8. Beggarticks: Pictures, Flowers, Leaves & Identification | Biden frondosa. Accessed September 30, 2025. https://www.ediblewildfood.com/beggarticks.aspx
9. Wang XY, Chen GR. (PDF) [Chemical constituents from Bidens bipinnata]. Phytochemistry Letters. Published online July 2014:198-201. doi:10.4268/cjcmm20141017
10. Rose K. Spanish Needles Plant Healing Power – Mother Earth News. Accessed September 29, 2025. https://www.motherearthnews.com/natural-health/herbalist-spanish-needles-ze0z1402zjhar/
11. Murtaza M, Asif M. A Review on Phytochemical & Pharmacological Properties of Bidens Bipinnata 1 MedDocs Publishers. Ann Pharm Sci. 2025;1(1):1001.
12. Dieamant G, Pereda MDCV, Nogueira C, et al. Antiageing Mechanisms of a Standardized Supercritical CO2 Preparation of Black Jack (Bidens pilosa L.) in Human Fibroblasts and Skin Fragments. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2015;2015:280529. doi:10.1155/2015/280529
13. Deane G. Spanish Needles, Pitchfork Weed. Eat The Weeds and other things, too. September 24, 2011. Accessed September 29, 2025. https://www.eattheweeds.com/spanish-needles-pitchfork-weed/
When I was a kid we called this plant "sticky darts." That's because we figured out you can pluck the immature seed heads with the stem, and then discreetly toss them at peoples' backs. The challenge was to see how many darts you could stick before they noticed. Sometimes it was one, sometimes it was 76...
If we wanted to be an a-hole or it was someone we really didn't like (e.g. the school bully), we'd use the ripe seed heads instead of the unripe ones 🤭😼