Crowned Beggarticks (Bidens coronata): yellow Minnesota wildflowers

Crowned Beggarticks

Plant Info
Also known as:	Northern Tickseed-sunflower, Tall Tickseed-sunflower, Tall Swamp Marigold
Scientific name:	Bidens coronata
Family:	Aster (Asteraceae)
Life cycle:	annual
Origin:	native
Habitat:	sun; wet; swamps, marshes, along shores, wet fields
Bloom season:	late summer to early fall
Plant height:	1 to 5 feet
USDA PLANTS database:	Minnesota county distribution map
Spotted in Ramsey County at:	Vadnais/Snail Lake Regional Park

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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:: There is a similar species, Bearded Beggarticks (Bidens aristosa), but it is generally uncommon in Minnesota and doesn't appear to grow in the Twin Cities area. 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.

Photos taken at Vadnais/Snail Lake Regional Park, Shoreview, MN August-September 2008

Have you seen this plant in Ramsey County, or have any other comments about it?