Family: Asteraceae
Common name: Creeping ox-eye, Wedelia, Trailing daisy
Don’t let this pretty little flower fool you. It’s among the world’s 100 worst weeds. If you have a patch or ledge-like area you don’t know what to fill with, Creeping ox-eye is your answer.
It can fill the area with a green carpet of shiny leaves, interspersed with pretty yellow flowers. The plants only grow a few inches from the ground, but can spread out over large areas.
New plants grow from severed portions of the parent plant, roots coming out of the nodes along the stem. So an attempt to remove this plant by cutting it actually results in more plants, thus making it an invasive weed.
Creeping ox-eye can thrive in open areas, with good sunlight; and needs very little water and fertilization. It has medicinal uses in traditional Chinese and Vietnamese medicine to treat wounds, inflammations, colds, indigestion, fever and malaria. So plant a Creeping ox-eye in a corner of your garden and watch it grow overnight.
Propagation is from stem cuttings.
Photo Courtesy: love4gardening.com
