Flower profile

White beggarticks

Bidens alba

Native in the lower 48

White beggarticks is a wildflower that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 7 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in January–December.

12states

7of our state lists

45,046U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina

Quick look

Bidens alba is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, commonly known as shepherd's needles, beggarticks, Spanish needles, or butterfly needles. Bidens means two- toothed, describing the two projections found at the top of the seeds, and alba refers to the white ray florets.
From Wikipedia's article Bidens alba, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Asteraceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as an herb (forb) with a annual, perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 12 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
In Florida, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in January–December. ^iNaturalist
In Louisiana, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in January–December. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 37,444 research-grade sightings of it in Florida, ranking #1 among the 110 flowers on our Florida list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,620 research-grade sightings of it in Louisiana, ranking #10 among the 109 flowers on our Louisiana list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,097 research-grade sightings of it in Georgia, ranking #83 among the 111 flowers on our Georgia list. ^iNaturalist

White beggarticks gift ideas

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When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (3,396 records)

Bloom time in each of our 7 states

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
Florida	Native	January–December	37,444
Louisiana	Introduced	January–December	1,620
Georgia	Native	April–December	1,097
Alabama	Introduced	January–November	1,022
Hawaii	Introduced	January–December	995
South Carolina	–	January–December	432
Mississippi	–	January–December	405

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: GNR Not yet ranked worldwide. ^NatureServe
Florida: Not listed Not on Florida Regulated Plant Index (Fla. Admin. Code 5B-40.0055). NatureServe: S5, secure in Florida. ^{FAC 5B-40.0055}
Louisiana: No list Louisiana has no state list of endangered or threatened plants separate from the federal list, so we show federal status and NatureServe's Louisiana ranks. NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Louisiana.
Georgia: Not listed Not on Georgia protected plants (Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 391-4-10-.09; a 2026 update is proposed). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Georgia. ^{Ga. R. 391-4-10-.09}
Alabama: No list Alabama has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Alabama ranks instead. NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Alabama.
Hawaii: Not listed Not on Hawaii threatened and endangered plants (HAR 13-107; the state list follows the federal list), DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife. NatureServe: SNA, not applicable (usually because it isn't native there) in Hawaii. ^{HAR 13-107}
South Carolina: No list South Carolina has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's South Carolina ranks instead. NatureServe has no South Carolina rank for it.
Mississippi: No list Mississippi has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Mississippi ranks instead. NatureServe has no Mississippi rank for it.
Rare elsewhere: No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleNot well documented

None of the sources we checked (NC State Extension (no page for this plant), USDA PLANTS) say whether it's edible or poisonous for people.

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records white beggarticks in 12 states.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Mexico, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina.

Florida counties with USDA records: Alachua, Baker, Brevard, Broward, Calhoun, Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Collier, Columbia, DeSoto, Dixie, Duval, Escambia, Flagler, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Glades, Hardee, Hendry, Hernando, Highlands, Hillsborough, Holmes, Indian River, Jackson, Jefferson, Lake, Lee, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Manatee, Marion, Martin, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Okaloosa, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Putnam, Santa Rosa, Sarasota, Seminole, St. Lucie, Sumter, Suwannee, Taylor, Union, Volusia, Wakulla, Walton, Washington.