Family: Asteraceae
Common name: Nodeweed, Cinderella weed, Pig grass, Synedrella
Nodeweed is a hardy weed very commonly seen in India, found on roadsides, hillsides, vacant plots, open areas, and almost anywhere. They are a native of South and Central America, but are now seen everywhere in most countries of the world, especially in warm countries.
Plant Characteristics
Characterized by its small yellow flowers, Nodeweeds grow to a height of 70-80 cm. It’s a short-lived plant with a green stem, that is slightly woody towards the base.
Leaves have thin white hairs, and are about 5-10 cm long and 3-5 cm wide, with the petiole having small wings. Petioles are the stalks that connect the leaves to the stem. Nodeweed leaves have prominent veins and lightly wavy edges.
Flowers are formed in the axils, the angle formed between the leaves and the stem. They have yellow ray florets towards the outer edges, and pale yellow disk florets towards the center.
Both ray and disk florets form into seeds that are about 1-2 cm in length. A single plant produces hundreds and seeds, ensuring quick germination.
Growing Tips
Nodeweeds thrive in moist soil and good sunlight, spreading to new areas very quickly. Hence it is considered an invasive weed in most parts of the world.
Since these are hardy weeds, they can grow without watering, fertilization, pruning, or any extra care. Nodeweeds are short-lived, growing and flowering in one season.
They thrive in the rainy season and in moist, warm weather, growing with other small weeds like Scoparia dulcis or Sweet broom weed, Grona triflora or Creeping tick trefoil, Bonnaya ciliata or Fringed Lindernia, Pouzolzia zeylanica or Graceful Pouzolz’s bush, Oldenlandia corymbosa or Flat-top mille graines, all of them very common in Kerala backyards.
They are a nuisance in agricultural land, where the rapidly growing Nodeweeds are capable of choking seedlings of other crops.
Hand weeding is the best way to remove these hardy little plants. Seeds are dispersed by wind, water, and animals; and they are capable of staying dormant in the soil for several months until ideal conditions for germination arise.
Uses of Nodeweed
The plants have a few beneficial uses as cattle fodder, and also in the treatment of rheumatism. But since the nuisance far outweighs the uses of this plant, most countries have declared it a noxious weed.
They make excellent ground cover plants since they grow and reproduce very fast, covering large areas of land and protecting the topsoil from eroding.
Propagation
Propagation is through seeds.
Each plant is capable of producing hundreds of seeds, which fall to the ground and germinate by themselves. These small plants can be removed carefully from the soil and replanted.
Photographed at: Koonammavu, Kerala.
