Galinsoga parviflora

Galinsoga parviflora
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Galinsoga
Species: G. parviflora
Binomial name
Galinsoga parviflora
Cav. 1796
Synonyms[1][2][3]

Galinsoga parviflora[4] is an herbaceous plant in the Asteraceae (daisy) family. It has several common names including guasca (Colombia), mielcilla (Costa Rica), galinsoga (NZ), gallant soldier (UK)[5]/(USA),[6] and potato weed.

It is also known by the taxonomic name Tridax parviflora[1]

Galinsoga parviflora was brought from Peru to Kew Gardens in 1796, and later escaped to the wild in Great Britain and Ireland. In Britain its name Galinsoga is sometimes popularly rendered as "gallant soldiers", and then sometimes altered to "soldiers of the Queen".

In Colombia it is used as a spice herb in the soup Ajiaco.[1] It can also be used as an ingredient in leaf salads.

In much of the world it is considered a weed.[7][8][9][10]

Description

Galinsoga parviflora grows to a height of 75 cm (30 inches). It is a branched herb with opposite stalked leaves, toothed at the margins. The flowers are in small heads. The 3-8 white ray-florets are about 1 mm (0.4 inches) long and 3-lobed. The central disc florets are yellow and tubular.[11][8]

Distribution

There are a few records of G. parviflora and G. ciliata as a weed in Northern Ireland.[12]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Galinsoga parviflora.

References

  1. 1 2 3 B & T World Seeds, Tridax parviflora (Galinsoga parviflora) in Profile includes photo plus recipe for soup containing this plant as an ingredient
  2. Tropicos, Galinsoga parviflora Cav.
  3. The Plant List, Galinsoga parviflora Cav.
  4. Royal New Zealand Institute of Horticulture - Horticulture Pages - Weeds - Index of names
  5. "BSBI List 2007". Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-02-25. Retrieved 2014-10-17.
  6. "Galinsoga parviflora". Natural Resources Conservation Service PLANTS Database. USDA. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
  7. Flora of North America, Galinsoga parviflora Cavanilles, 1795.
  8. 1 2 Flora of China, Galinsoga parviflora Cavanilles, 1795. 牛膝菊 niu xi ju
  9. Atlas of Living Australia
  10. Altervista Flora Italiana, Galinsoga parviflora Cav. includes photos, European distribution map
  11. Clapham, A.R., Tutin, T.G. and Warburg, E.F. 1968 Excursion Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-04656-4
  12. Hackney, P. (Ed.) 1992. Stewart & Corry's Flora of the North-east of Ireland. Third Edition. ISBN 0-85389-446-9
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