Galinsoga bicolorata H. St. John & D. White
Galinsoga caracasana (DC.) Sch. Bip.
Galinsoga ciliata (Raf.) S.F. Blake
Galinsoga quadriradiata Cav.
Hairy galinsoga, shaggy soldier, Peruvian daisy
Hairy galinsoga is a widespread weed that is easily overlooked, with small flowers and few distinctive features, unless you are a farmer and it is ruining your crop yields. These inconspicuous weeds can reduce crop yields by 50%. They are believed to have originated in Mexico. They are considered invasives in New England.
Plants: 4–31″ (10–80 cm) high, often branched; stems are covered with short hairs.
Leaves: Opposite, medium to dark green, and up to 2 ⨉ 1½″ (6 ⨉ 4 cm). They are broadest at the base, tapering to a tip, sparsely to densely hairy, and coarsely toothed.
Flowers: 1/16–⅜″ (2–10 mm) in diameter, ususally 1/16–⅛″ (2–3 mm), with 4 to 8 (usually 5) widely spaced ray florets, each with three teeth. Each flower has a central yellow region of disc florets. The diminutive flowers are on hairy stalks.
Fruits: Small achenes with little plumes. A single plant can produce 7000 seeds.
Habitats: Gardens, waste areas, roadsides, disturbed areas.
Edibility: Leaves are edible raw or cooked, harvested before the plant produces flower stalks.
Online References:
References:
Galinsoga aristulata E.P. Bicknell
Galinsoga bicolorata H. St. John & D. White
Galinsoga caracasana (DC.) Sch. Bip.
Galinsoga ciliata (Raf.) S.F. Blake
Galinsoga bicolorata H. St. John & D. White
Galinsoga caracasana (DC.) Sch. Bip.
Galinsoga ciliata (Raf.) S.F. Blake
8/3/2009 · 111 Near 119, Pepperell, Massachusetts · ≈ 4 × 3½″ (9.9 × 8.8 cm) 
(The narrow spikes are crabgrass.) · 10/3/2016 · Lost Lake Area, Groton, Massachusetts 
7/18/2019 · Oceanview, Falmouth, Maine · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (18 × 12 cm) 
8/14/2017 · Beaver Brook Conservation Area, Old Long Loop, Hollis, New Hampshire · ≈ 5 × 4″ (13 × 11 cm) 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves |
| Subclass | Asteridae | A large class that encompasses asters |
| Order | Asterales | Flowering plants with a central disk flower and surrounding petals, like daisies |
| Family | Asteraceae | The aster family, which also includes daisies and sunflowers; from the Greek ἀστήρ, “star,” for the star-shaped flowers |
| Genus | Galinsoga | Named for 18th century Spanish doctor and director of Jardin Botanique de Madrid, Ignacio Mariano Martinez de Galinsoga |
| Species | quadriradiata | With four ray florets or with four radiating structures |
Galinsoga quadriradiata description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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