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Ageratum conyzoides

Common name:	Goatweed	Family:	Compositae
Author:	L.	Botanical references:	200
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	S. America.
Habitat:	A common weed of cultivated ground, having spread from its native range to all areas of the Tropics within 20° of the Equator, to an altitude of 2,500 metres[200].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	0	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	3

Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Aru Batu [E], Bandotan [E], Berokan [E], Flossflower [H], Rompesaraguelo [E], Rumput Tahi Ayam [E], Tropical Whiteweed [B,P], Wedusan [E],
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Asterales. Renamed to Asteraceae -- Aster family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Africa C Africa Cameroon Ghana India(Gujarat) Java Liberia Malacca Malaya Nigeria Philippines Reunion Sierra Leone Tanzania Togo Tonga Trinidad Venezuela Zaire

Physical Characteristics

Annual growing to 1m. It is hardy to zone 9. It is in leaf from May to October, in flower from July to September. The scented flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects. We rate it 0/5 for edibility and 3/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Cultivated Beds.

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Lithontripic Skin Styptic Vulnerary.

The juice of the root is antilithic[240, 243]. A paste of the root, mixed with the bark of Schinus wallichii, is applied to set dislocated bones[272].
The leaves are styptic[240]. They are dried and applied as a powder to cuts, sores and the ruptures caused by leprosy[272], The powder absorbs the moisture of the disease and forms a layer that is removed after 1 - 2 days[272]. An effective cure for most cuts and sores, though it does not effect a complete cure for leprosy[272]. The leaves are also used externally in the treatment of ague[240, 243].
The juice of the plant is used to treat cuts, wounds and bruises[272].
A paste of the leaves is used as a poultice to remove thorns from the skin[272]. A paste made of the leaves mixed with equal amounts of Bidens pilosa, Drymaria cordata, Galinsoga parviflora and the rhizome of Zingiber officinale is used to treat snakebites[272].
The juice of the flowerheads is used externally to treat scabies, whilst a paste of them is used to treat rheumatism[272]. A tea made from the flowerheads mixed with Ocimum tenuifolium is used to treat coughs and colds[272].

Other Uses

Essential.

The leaves and the flowers yield 0.2% essential oil with a powerful nauseating odour[240]. The oil contains 5% eugenol, which has a pleasant odour[240]. The oil from plants growing in Africa has an agreeable odour, consisting almost entirely of eugenol[240].

Cultivation details

Succeeds in full sun in a sheltered position in any reasonably fertile moisture-retentive soil that does not dry out in the summer[200]. Plant vigour and flowering periods are much reduced on dry soils[200].
This species is not frost hardy, though it can be grown as a summer annual in Britain[200].
The fresh plant is malodorous[200].

Propagation

Seed - sow late winter or early spring in a warm greenhouse and only just cover the seed. Prick out the seedlings when large enough to handle and plant out after the last expected frosts[200]. Seed can also be sown in situ in the spring and, for earlier blooms, it is possible to sow it in late summer or early autumn, though it will need to be overwintered in a warm greenhouse[200].

Scent

Leaves: Fresh: The fresh plant is malodorous.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[PHARM] Phytochemical Data (common names, uses, countries) from Dr Duke's Phytochemical Database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[R] Rainforest medicinal Data (common names, medicinal uses, images) from the Rain-Tree.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[240] Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986
Very terse details of medicinal uses of plants with a wide range of references and details of research into the plants chemistry. Not for the casual reader.

[243] Medicinal Plants of Nepal Dept. of Medicinal Plants. Nepal. 1993
Terse details of the medicinal properties of Nepalese plants, including cultivated species and a few imported herbs.

[245] Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.

Readers Comments

Useful plants of Madagascar

Rich (pfaf@scs.leeds.ac.uk) Tue Nov 16 11:22:24 1999

I've just got a lovley little book in French on the useful plants of Madegascar (Plantes utiles des hautes terres de Madagascar) by Jean-Marie Samyn. Its got descriptions, photos and uses of about 100 plants listed below. You can also see all the details online at Plantes utiles.

Abrus precatorius, Acacia dealbata, Acacia mearnsii, Agauria salicifolia, Agauria polyphylla, Ageratum conyzoides, Albizzia gummifera, Aloe capitata, Aloe todaro, Aloe macroclada, Anthocleista madagascariensis, Apholoia theaeformis, Brachylaena ramiflora, Buddleja madagascariensis, Caesalpinia sepiaria, Caesalpinia decapetala, Cassia laevigata, Cassia mimosoides, Cassia occidentalis, Catharanthus lanceus, Catharantus roseus, Centella asiatica, Clerodendrum emirnense, Clerodendrum putre, Commelina madagascarica, Crinum firmifolium, Crinum ligulatum, Crinum voyoni, Cussonia bojeri, Cynodon dactylon, Datura stramonium, Dodonae madagascariensis, Dodonae viscosa, Emilia citrina, Eugenia jambolana, Eugenia jambos, Euphorbia hirta, Euphorbia milii, Euphorbia primulaefolia, Evodia madagascariensis, Ficus baroni, Ficus apodocephala, Ficus pachyclada, Ficus roussonetiaefolia, Ficus trichosphaera, Ficus pyrifolia, Ficus melleri, Ficus soroceoides, Ficus claoxyloides, Ficus phanerophlebia, Ficus xiphocuspis, Floscopa glomerata, Gomphocarpus fruticosus, Gomphocarpus cornutus, Haronga madagascariensis, Hedychium coronarium, Helichrysum bracteiferum, Helichrysum cordifolium, Helichrysum gymnocephalum, Kalanchoe laxiflora, Kalanchoe prolifera, Kaliphora madagascariensis, Lantana camara, Leonotis nepetaefolia, Maesa lanceolata, Melia azedarach, Mimosa latispinosa, Mimosa pudica, Mussaenda arcuata, Nicandra physaloides, Pavonia urens, Phyllarthron madagascariense, Physalis peruviana, Phytolacca dodecandra, Psiadia altissima, Psorospermum androsacemifolium, Ricinus communis, Senecio faujasioides, Senecio longiscapus, Sida rhombifolia, Siegesbeckia orientalis, Solanum mauritianum, Solanum nigrum, Tachiadenus longiflorus, Trema orientalis, Trema affinis, Trema cummersonii, Trema grevei, Trema grisea, Trema guineensis, Trema treme, Trema velutina, Uapaca bojeri, Urena lobata, Vernonia appendiculata.

Details of Growing Condition: Madagascar.

Cross references: Plants: Caesalprina decapetala, Euphorbia hirta, Centella asiatica, Siegesbeckia orientalis pubescens, Ricinus communis, Melia azedarach, Pyrus pyrifolia, Dodonea viscosa, Nicandra physaloides, Physalis peruviana, Hedychium coronarium.

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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