Bidens alba
Common Names: shepherd's needles, Spanish needles, Bidens pilosa (syn), butterfly needles, hairy beggarticks, beggarticks
Family: Asteraceae/Compositae (aster/daisy Family).
Habitats
Cultivated Beds;
Edible Uses
Edible Parts: Leaves; Tea.
Leaves - raw or cooked[177]. A resinous flavour[173]. Added to salads or steamed and added to soups and stews, they can also be dried for later use[183].A good source of iodine[272]. A nutritional analysis is available[218]. Young shoot tips are used to make a tea[177].
Composition:
Figures in grams (g) or miligrams (mg) per 100g of food.
Leaves (Dry weight)
295 Calories per 100g
Water : 0%
Protein: 24.5g; Fat: 4g; Carbohydrate: 56.4g; Fibre: 12.1g; Ash: 15.1g;
Minerals - Calcium: 1721mg; Phosphorus: 273mg; Iron: 0mg; Magnesium: 0mg; Sodium: 11mg; Potassium: 267mg; Zinc: 0mg;
Vitamins - A: 12mg; Thiamine (B1): 0mg; Riboflavin (B2): 0mg; Niacin: 0mg; B6: 0mg; C: 0mg;
Known hazards:
The roots, leaves and flowers are strongly phototoxic, the achenes weakly so[218]. Substances isolated from the leaves can kill human skin in the presence of sunlight at concentrations as low as 10ppm[218].
My sources
http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Bidens+pilosa
http://www.floridata.com/ref/b/bide_alb.cfm
Common Names: shepherd's needles, Spanish needles, Bidens pilosa (syn), butterfly needles, hairy beggarticks, beggarticks
Family: Asteraceae/Compositae (aster/daisy Family).
Habitats
Cultivated Beds;
Edible Uses
Edible Parts: Leaves; Tea.
Leaves - raw or cooked[177]. A resinous flavour[173]. Added to salads or steamed and added to soups and stews, they can also be dried for later use[183].A good source of iodine[272]. A nutritional analysis is available[218]. Young shoot tips are used to make a tea[177].
Composition:
Figures in grams (g) or miligrams (mg) per 100g of food.
Leaves (Dry weight)
295 Calories per 100g
Water : 0%
Protein: 24.5g; Fat: 4g; Carbohydrate: 56.4g; Fibre: 12.1g; Ash: 15.1g;
Minerals - Calcium: 1721mg; Phosphorus: 273mg; Iron: 0mg; Magnesium: 0mg; Sodium: 11mg; Potassium: 267mg; Zinc: 0mg;
Vitamins - A: 12mg; Thiamine (B1): 0mg; Riboflavin (B2): 0mg; Niacin: 0mg; B6: 0mg; C: 0mg;
Known hazards:
The roots, leaves and flowers are strongly phototoxic, the achenes weakly so[218]. Substances isolated from the leaves can kill human skin in the presence of sunlight at concentrations as low as 10ppm[218].
My sources
http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Bidens+pilosa
http://www.floridata.com/ref/b/bide_alb.cfm