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Common name: Billy goat weed, goat weed, tropical whiteweed
Botanical name: Ageratum conyzoides Family: Asteraceae (daisy family)
Billy goat weed is a common tropical annual herbaceous weed. It is an erect
softly hairy annual plant which grows
up to a height of 2.5 feet. Oppositely arranged leaves are ovate to
lance-like, coarsely rounded, and have toothed margin. Numerous pale blue or
whitish flowerheads are 6 mm across, often forming dense domed to flat-topped
clusters in leaf axils or end of branches. Flowers most of the year.
The stem is often red and has long white hairs. The weak aromatic unpleasant
smelling leaves are also covered with fine hair.
The dark seeds have scales and ends in a needle-like shape.
In alternative medicine, ageratum is used against epilepsy and wounds, also
used as an insect repellent.
| Photographed in Binsar, Uttaranchal. |
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