| Author | L. | |
| Distribution | Throughout the state; scarce on the Outer Banks.
MA to southern Ont., NE, and AZ, south to Mexico. | |
| Abundance | Common to very common over the state, except uncommon to infrequent along the Outer Banks and nearby mainland areas. | |
| Habitat | A wide variety of disturbed places, such as roadsides, fields, powerline clearings, croplands, yards, waste lots, and openings in floodplains. | |
| Phenology | Flowering and fruiting July-October. | |
| Identification | Spanish-needles is readily identified by its black, elongate, pronged fruits, 7-15 mm long. As in other beggarticks (Bidens spp.) the fruits are awned, in this case with 3-4 awns (vs. 2 in most of our species). Also unusual are the short (or absent) ray florets (vs. prominent in most our species). Thus, the flowers may appear to lack rays. Most people are familiar with this weedy species by getting the numerous "barbs" stuck into their pants when brushing up against the plants. | |
| Taxonomic Comments | None
| |
| Other Common Name(s) | The common name is often if not usually written as Spanish Needles, without the hyphen. | |
| State Rank | S5 | |
| Global Rank | G5 | |
| State Status | | |
| US Status | | |
| USACE-agcp | FAC link |
| USACE-emp | FACU link |
