Flower:

Flowers are at the end of stems that branch off near the top of the plant. Individual flowers are 1½ to 2 inches across with 8 yellow petals (ray flowers) and a yellow to brownish button center about ½ inch across.

The bracts are green, straight, and narrow with blunt tips and are sparsely hairy along the edges. Between the bracts and petals is a layer of yellow sepals, wider and shorter than the bracts, tapering to a blunt point.

Leaves and stem:

Leaves are compound in usually 3 or 5 narrow segments, less often 7. Leaflets are to 4 inches long, ½ inch wide, pointed at the tip, and coarsely toothed to varying degrees. Leaflets may be further lobed with 1 or 2 narrow segments near the base. Attachment is opposite. The main stem is hairless.

Notes:

A similar species is Bearded Beggarticks (Bidens aristosa), which is a more southern species not found in Minnesota. There are some slight differences with the leaves, but it can be more easily distinguished by the flower bracts, which are very curly with fringed or bristly edges. Crowned Beggarticks formerly went by Latin name Bidens coronata.