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Galinsoga quadriradiata
Also called Peruvian daisy, Hairy Galinsoga, Shaggy Galinsoga, Galinsoga, Quickweed
Shaggy soldier is a fast-growing annual weed of the daisy family, native to Mexico and Central America and now widespread elsewhere. It is grown mainly as an edible green rather than for ornament, and it spreads quickly from seed.
Galinsoga quadriradiata is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae which is known by several common names, including shaggy soldier, Peruvian daisy, hairy galinsoga. Despite the common name, the plant's native home is apparently central Mexico, although it has become an introduced species in many other places (North and South America, Europe, Japan, Philippines, the northern India, Nepal, etc.). It is sometimes considered a weed.
Galinsoga quadriradiata and its cousin Galinsoga parviflora are both edible and can be used as a pot herb or in salads, although outside of their native range they have not been widely adopted as a culinary item other than in China. G. parviflora is preferred as a salad green due to its non-hairy leaves. If you happen to live in a tropical region, care must be taken to not confuse them with the distantly related, and visually similar, Tridax procumbens.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Galinsoga quadriradiata by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
