Quickweed

At weedom, there’s an alternate theory of how no-till agriculture came to be all the rage. Most would think that it was an effort to preserve the topsoil, leave the natural microbiota intact, save the worms, stop erosion, etc.

We think that quickweed sealed the deal.

The hairs of quickweed, Galinsoga ciliate or quadriradiata

Whenever we tilled, cultivated, or hoed the produce gardens, a stand of quickweed would immediately spring up after any amount of rain. It would vastly overtake any low growing plants, shading out the squash and cantaloupe, or any late planted veggies that we hoped to harvest in the fall. High wind, scant rain, and time considerations got us into the practice of covering the soil of our gardens. We trialed the Eden method on one section, with mixed results. Finally we let nature take over, and a few years covering of oak leaves solved the quickweed overgrowth issue. A few years ago we let most of the gardens go entirely unplanted, and started taking pictures of weeds. (Scrolling back through the years is how some of the pics of both young weeds plus full grown blooming pictures were able to be brought to you this year. )

This year we had to look for the quickweed, but it was there, winking at us, in the garden where we had just added lots of manure. Any disruption of the soil produces quickweed. It’s almost as though spontaneous generation is for real. After death, Weedom1 will be pushing up quickweed, instead of daisies. Read further, and you will be equipped to make good use of it!

People actually buy Galinsoga. It’s even dried and sold as an herb to add flavor and body to soups. Galinsoga parviflora, a.k.a. guasca, is popular in Columbia, and used to make a signature dish, called ajiaco, which is their version of chicken and potato stew. It also includes fresh or dried guasca, avocados, corn on the cob slices, and capers. This writer didn’t exit the uterus knowing that Galinsoga is good. For years, our family yanked bales of this stuff out of the gardens. Finally, upon grazing it, the flavor was revealed to be like a demulcent form of very mild cilantro, with hints of sweeter herb flavors. It tastes good! This weed can be eaten as is, or hidden in a variety of prepared foods. It’s really embarrassing to have composted so much of this good stuff in the past.

This is probably how you’ll first notce that you’ve got Galinsoga. Little ~6 cm (1/4 inch) blooms with 5 widely spaced petals, each scalloped into 3 rounded (crenate) tips and bright yellow disc flowers, will protrude from any given weedy space. Next you’ll notice leggy stems and palmately veined, toothed leaves. The plant may reach 40-50 cm in height, particularly if supported by other plants.

Galinsoga, at first glance.

Some sources attest to 14 different species within the Galinsoga genus, (of the Asteraceae family). The most diversity of species is found in Mexico or further south, where the plants originate. Gallant soldier, the favored common name for Galinsoga parviflora, is likely a spoken derivative of the genus name. Parviflora means ‘small flower’. Quickweed, Shaggy soldier, Galinsoga quadriradiata, a.k.a. G. ciliate, is what currently dominates at weedom, although both this and G. parviflora are both widespread in North America.

These 2 species have been found side by side and are capable of interbreeding and forming hybrids. They are frequently confused with each other. Although leaves, flowers and young stems of both species are equally edible, we’ll take the trouble to distinguish between the two. G. quadriradiata seems to be the most recent species name of our hairy quickweed, but we’re going to use the older, “ciliate” species name, because 3 syllables are easier to pronounce than 6. Plus “ciliate” seems more sensible, due to all the hairs on this weed.

The leaves of the young plants of (hairy) Quickweed, G. ciliate, are triangular or egg shaped with a pointed tip, Three veins may be reddish in color above, and hairy below. Dense hairs are present on the stems, leaf stalks, leaf edges and upper side of the leaf. Young leaves of G. parviflora are paddle or oval shaped with a tapered tip, toothed, and slightly cupped. There may be grooves along one or more of the veins.

Mature plants are highly branched, with each branch arising from the axils of oppositely arranged leaves. G. ciliate is more variable in size ranging from 10-70 cm in height. (Ours is on the shorter side this dry season). Leaves are 2.5-7.5 cm. (1-3 inches) long and 1.3-5 cm. (1/2-2 inches) wide with toothed hairy margins. G. parviflora is 30-60cm tall, with sparse hairs, most of which are located near the joints of stems and leaves, and on petioles. Toothed leaves tend to be a little larger, up to 11 cm (4 inches) long and 7cm. (2.75 inches) wide.

Quickweed, Galinsoga ciliate or quadriradiata flowers.

Flowers are similar, with 4-5 white rays, and a clump of tubular disc flowers. G. ciliate has larger flowers, 0.6cm (1/4 inch) in diameter, and G. parviflora, as the name says, has flowers half that size. The ray flowers of G. ciliate cannot produce seeds, while the ray flowers of G. parviflora may produce wedge shaped seeds. The disk flowers of both species produce oblong seeds which can cling somewhat to shoes or clothing.

The life cycle of the plant is about 40 days or so. Seeds germinate at or near the surface of the soil, with young plants appearing in late spring or summer. Seeds can germinate as soon as they hit the dirt, with no overwintering required, so that 3 or 4 generations of plants might occur in a single growing season. Each plant can produce 7500 seeds, and up to hundreds of thousands of seeds has been reported. The seeds persist in the soil for only a few years, so that with concentrated efforts, and a good appetite, populations of this weed can be controlled. Chickens and livestock can help with the weed consumption.

The Forager Chef has supplied recipes for making Ajiaco, the signature Columbian potato and chicken stew, so we recommend you visit that site, when you’re ready to fire up the stove. Some more recipes come from the Wild Food Girl, who makes use of the hairy G. ciliate (quadriradiata). The flavor of the raw leaves is very mild, but if you cook them, the flavor intensifies. You’ll notice that the volume of plant material decreases to about a fifth of the harvested volume. Some others compare the cooked flavor to artichokes, (and maybe weedom1 just has cilantro on the brain :-D ). Each person’s taste buds are different, but most agree that this weed is very easy to eat. Nutritionally, Galinsoga is a good source of vitamin C, vitamins A, B1, B2 and B3, supplies 3 grams of protein per 100 grams, and the minerals calcium, magnesium, potassium and zinc.

Most medicinal research is said to have been done using Galinsoga parviflora, though both plants have been used as medicine in numerous parts of the world. (It’s likely collection of hybrids and confusion between G. parviflora and ciliate has occurred among the studies, given the pictures that are displayed as each species in the various botanical references.) Among the many non-volatile compounds isolated from Galinsoga are various alkaloids, saponins, tannins quercetin, beta sitosterol, gallic acid, kaempferol hydroxybenzoic acid, quinines and various flavanone glucosides.

Weak antimicrobial activity has been found against various gram positive organisms, however somewhat better activity against E. coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa was found in-vitro. Stronger in-vitro antifungal activity was also detected.

Both species are used to accelerate wound healing, to control bleeding of superficial wounds, to treat stings and skin inflammations, eczema, and (likely due to its ability to inhibit hyaluronidase), to address snakebite. Taken internally Galinsoga has been used to address hyperglycemia and hypertension, and to treat flu and colds.

Among 40 or so essential oil found in Galinsoga, there is (Z)-γ-bisabolene, a sesquiterpene compound, which has been shown to kill early larvae of 6 different species of mosquitoes. It also inhibits oviposition, (egg laying) by the female mosquitos, thereby acting as significant birth control for these disease transmitting insects.

Quickweed might be the fuzziest plant that you can eat raw, without getting a hairball. It’s so juicy the fuzz doesn’t seem to matter.

See if you can find these weeds in your garden or in any place where the soil has been tilled or disturbed. Galinsoga populations will likely increase significantly with any rainfall, and you’ll be able to see them bloom until the first light frost, which immediately kills off these plants which originated in the tropics.

Think about getting the SubStack app if you haven’t already. Join the conversations in the Notes area and in chat. New readers, remember that you can get into the archives at the website, and see all the articles. Thanks for hanging out with weedom!

Where We Dig

1. Quickweed greens | Wild Food Girl. Published September 15, 2021. Accessed August 17, 2023. https://wildfoodgirl.com/2021/quickweed-greens/

2. (PDF) Chemical Constituents and Biological Activities of Galinsoga parvifl ora Cav. (Asteraceae) from Egypt. Accessed August 21, 2023. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/257073001_Chemical_Constituents_and_Biological_Activities_of_Galinsoga_parvifl_ora_Cav_Asteraceae_from_Egypt

3. Govindarajan M, Vaseeharan B, Alharbi NS, et al. High efficacy of (Z)-γ-bisabolene from the essential oil of Galinsoga parviflora (Asteraceae) as larvicide and oviposition deterrent against six mosquito vectors. Environ Sci Pollut Res. 2018;25(11):10555-10566. doi:10.1007/s11356-018-1203-3

4. Herbs: Guascas or Gallant Soldier: History, Culinary Uses and Nutrition. Knoji. Accessed August 17, 2023. https://knoji.com/article/herbs-guascas-or-gallant-soldier-history-culinary-uses-and-nutrition/

5. Hairy Galinsoga - Galinsoga quadriradiata | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. Accessed August 22, 2023. https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/galinsoga-quadriradiata/common-name/hairy-galinsoga/

6. Guascas Herb: How to Grow and Care for This Exotic Plant. Published October 22, 2022. Accessed August 17, 2023. https://www.evergreenseeds.com/guascas/

7. Bartlett J. Gallant Soldier or Guascas, Galinsoga parviflora | Jeremy Bartlett’s LET IT GROW blog. Published July 30, 2014. Accessed August 17, 2023. https://www.jeremybartlett.co.uk/2014/07/30/gallant-soldier-or-guascas-galinsoga-parviflora/

8. Gallant Soldier facts and health benefits. Published December 14, 2022. Accessed August 22, 2023. https://www.healthbenefitstimes.com/gallant-soldier/

9. Galinsogas | CALS. Accessed August 21, 2023. https://cals.cornell.edu/weed-science/weed-profiles/galinsogas

10. Galinsoga’s Gallant Soldiers - Eat The Weeds and other things, too. Accessed August 17, 2023. https://www.eattheweeds.com/galinsoga-ciliata-quickweed-is-fast-food-2/

11. JordynSL. Galinsoga, the Intrusive, Astringent Edible Weed. Eat The Planet. Published December 6, 2021. Accessed August 22, 2023. https://eattheplanet.org/galinsoga-the-intrusive-astringent-edible-weed/

12. Galinsoga parviflora Gallant Soldier PFAF Plant Database. Accessed August 17, 2023. https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Galinsoga+parviflora

13. Ripanda A, Luanda A, Sule KS, Mtabazi GS, Makangara JJ. Galinsoga parviflora (Cav.): A comprehensive review on ethnomedicinal, phytochemical and pharmacological studies. Heliyon. 2023;9(2). doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e13517

14. Fede. Galinsoga ciliata and Galinsoga parviflora. PHYTOALIMURGIA. Published May 19, 2020. Accessed August 22, 2023. https://phytoalimurgia.com/galinsoga-ciliata-and-galinsoga-parviflora/

15. Bergo A. Galinsoga / Guascas. Forager | Chef. Published December 23, 2017. Accessed August 17, 2023. https://foragerchef.com/galinsoga/

16. Julia. Galinsoga. Julia’s Edible Weeds. Published June 12, 2013. Accessed August 17, 2023. https://www.juliasedibleweeds.com/edible-weeds-flowers/galinsoga/

17. Extension | Hairy Galinsoga - Weed of the Week. Published August 17, 2020. Accessed August 21, 2023. https://extension.wvu.edu/lawn-gardening-pests/news/2020/08/17/hairy-galinsoga

18. Mostafa I, El-Aziz E, Hafez S, El Sahzly A. Chemical Constituents and Biological Activities of Galinsoga parvifl ora Cav. (Asteraceae) from Egypt. Zeitschrift für Naturforschung C, Journal of biosciences. 2013;68:285-292. doi:10.5560/ZNC.2013.68c0285

19. Bazylko A, Boruc K, Borzym J, Kiss AK. Aqueous and ethanolic extracts of Galinsoga parviflora and Galinsoga ciliata. Investigations of caffeic acid derivatives and flavonoids by HPTLC and HPLC-DAD-MS methods. Phytochemistry Letters. 2015;11:394-398. doi:10.1016/j.phytol.2014.11.005

20. Studzińska-Sroka E, Dudek-Makuch M, Chanaj-Kaczmarek J, et al. Anti-inflammatory Activity and Phytochemical Profile of Galinsoga Parviflora Cav. Molecules. 2018;23(9):2133. doi:10.3390/molecules23092133