Common Name: Spanish Needles

General Information

Bidens bipinnata is an erect, annual plant usually growing up to 150cm tall, occasionally to 250cm. It has a 4-angled stem and is sometimes densely branched[].
The plant is sometimes harvested from the wild for local use as a food and medicine. It is sometimes grown as an ornamental[].
The seeds have bristles that stick to the fur of passing animals or the clothes of humans, and are widely dispersed in this way[]. The plant has spread as a weed to most areas of the world[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

, ,

Range

Probably originally native to eastern Asia, now spread widely through the temperate and tropical zones

Habitat

Rocky woods, roadsides and waste places, often in sandy soils, Florida to Mexico, north to Massachusetts and New York[]. Fields, forests, disturbed, wettish sites; at elevations from 10 - 1,800 metres[].

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Annual
Height	1.00 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Succeeds in any moderately fertile moisture-retentive soil in full sun[].
A good bee plant[].

Edible Uses

Leaves and young shoots - cooked or used as a flavouring[, ]. Used as a vegetable[]. A biter, astringent taste[]. A piquant flavour[, ].

A tea is made from the flowering tops[].

Medicinal

The root and seeds are antispasmodic, emmenagogue, expectorant and stimulant[, ]. They are used in the treatment of asthma, laryngeal and bronchial diseases[, ].

The leaves are styptic and vermifuge[, ]. They have been chewed as a treatment for sore throat[].
The warmed juice of the leaves is squeezed over boils to cure them; used as ear drops; used as eye drops to treat conjunctivitis and applied to the skin to treat wounds[, , , ].

An extract of the plant has bactericidal properties[].
Extracts of the plant show antimalarial activity in vivo. The crude ethanol extract (50 μg/ml) causes up to 70% inhibition of Plasmodium falciparum growth[].
Phenylacetylenes and flavonoids have been found in the ethanol extract from the leaves and the roots, and the antimalarial activity may be attributed to the presence of the acetylene compounds[].
The flowers and stem have shown antibiotic activity against Staphylococcus aureus but not against Escherichia coli[].

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed - sow mid to late spring in situ and only just cover the seed.