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| Horseweed; Conyza canadensis (L.) Cronq. |
| = Erigeron canadensis L. |
Sunflower Family; COMPOSITÆ (ASTERACEÆ)
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| Why is this called Horseweed? I don't know, but someone said "probably because of its common occurrence in horse pastures."
It is also called Mare's-tail, Colt's-tail and Mule-tail. Often it is called Canada Fleabane, possibly in reference to a reputed or real usage
of it or one of its close cousins in repelling fleas. Some other names for this remarkable creature: Prideweed, Butterweed, Hogweed,
and Bloodstaunch. I prefer to call the plant Freeway Weed. Few weeds are so characteristic of dry, sunny, litter-strewn, compacted
freeway edges. Even the worst soils, and tiniest cracks in concrete, suit the simple requirements of this summer weed. Besides freeway
vicinities, Horseweed thrives in vacant lots, dry, neglected garden beds, and general waste places or weed fields. This weed stays green and
reproduces even in dusty, sandy beaches, railroad tracks, and warehouse parking-lots. |
| Horseweed's life-cycle is brief and undramatic, as is true of most weeds. In early spring the seeds sprout. Plunging a strong
taproot deep into the soil, for a few months they produce only narrow leaves, in a loose mound, which gradually increases into an upright
stalk, ridged and hairy. In bloom, most are 1 to 4 feet tall, with the expected few dwarfs and giants outside of the normal size range. The
tallest actually attain 10 feet. Each plant is divided into a
leafy lower stem portion, and an upper portion that branches profusely and bears
the flowers. By full bloom the stalk is tough with green fibers around a pithy white core. |
| It is pale green, which does nothing but make it look somewhat wan and less than fully healthy. The leaves are long and
slender, irregularly nicked on their edges, sparsely covered with inconspicuous colorless hairs, and emit a pleasant resinous fragrance when
crushed, like sweet-gum tree leaves. In fact "sweet-weed" could be an apt name, but that we associate sweetness with pleasant things only. |
| Beginning in mid- to late June, numerous tiny white flowers open. Such dull little blossoms scarcely deserve the name flower,
but you can imagine how pretty each would be if only it were ringed by attractive, showy daisy-like petals. Indeed, gardeners' asters are closely related to the genus Erigeron. Moreover, some of the 150 Erigeron species are dazzling enough to make specialist flower-collectors drool with joy. Two other Erigeron species grow wild in Seattle; both are handsome but rare: E. philadelphicus and E. annuus. |
| Each Horseweed makes many hundreds or several thousand flowers. Each flower produces dozens of seeds! To a weed of this
nature, there is no such thing as moderation; no such word as "enough." Well, it does die after going to seed. The seeds are in puffy heads like miniature dandelions. |
| Its whole lifestyle and appearance is classic weediness. Unlike many weeds,
this homely plant doesn't earn mention in wildflower books. But in the world of real weeds, Horseweed is truly front-cover or centerfold quality. |
| To control it, the best plan is uprooting specimens
before they ripen any seeds. This is an easy task; the roots do not usually grip stubbornly. Use care in smelling or uprooting it, because the skin of some people is sensitive to the plant's juice, so irritation results
from exposure. This is particularly acute if the juice is on sweaty skin in bright sunshine. |
| Unlike the majority of our weeds, Horseweed is a North American native, though is now a resident weed in most of the world.
For example, it has been in Europe since before 1640, so is well known there. Other than its being a tough, pioneer species, it may serve
no particular role in the American ecologic web, as a food, material, etc. But to
humans, Horseweed, despite its ugliness and pesty abundance, has proved a useful weed. In fact, it is amazing what a wealth of benefit to us is found in this thing that we either ignore, or trample, swear at and kill. |
| The most interesting thing about it may be its role as a cure for diarrhea. Even bad cases of diarrhea are cured by drinking a tea of
this common, ugly weed. I have been tempted to test this, but not having the plant in my back yard, have been unwilling to walk a few blocks to gather some. When empty, pale and drained of energy, even a few blocks is too much; when hale and hearty, who cares about storing up future remedies? |
| It has also been found useful (along with many other remedies) in treating arthritis. As with the diarrhea cure, a
tea is drunk. Curiously, another drug plant used as a laxative and arthritis-aid is our Pacific Northwest native Cascara tree, whose bark is "cortex Cascara
sagrada" (sacred-bark of Cascara). So, if an arthritis sufferer takes Cascara to combat the pain, but therefore gets loose bowels, maybe the Horseweed tea would stop the diarrhea! |
| In Herbs and Spices by Julia Morton we learn "The essential oil, containing limonene, is used to some extent in commercial
flavoring of candy, condiments, and soft drinks." Horseweed has also been employed as a dye plant. Tyozaburo Tanaka reports the "Young
seedlings are eaten boiled;" and it appears in a book on Korean edible plants. Decades ago, a volatile oil was distilled from the plant, and used to
make a mosquito-repellent lotion. |
| Learning a bit about it, we must excuse the weed's plain appearance in our honest admiration of its
utility and remarkable guts. |
Originally published as the Seattle Tilth newsletter Weed of the Month in October 1990, along with an illustration drawn by Annie Figliola.
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