- List of beneficial weeds
This is a list of undomesticated or feral plants, considered
weed s, yet having some positive effects or uses, often being ideal ascompanion plant s in gardens.Beneficial weed s can be classed in a number of categories.Categories of Beneficial Weeds
Pest-repellant
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Crow garlic -- a wildallium which repels certain insect pests and is edible
*Cocklebur -- repels armyworms
*Goldenrod -- repels some bad insects and shelters several useful predatory species
*Milkweed -- repelswireworm s
*Caper Spurge -- believed to repel moles
*Neem -- repels leaf eating insectsEdible
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Cornflower various colors; can be served as edible garnish to decorate salads.
*Painter's brush weed
*Chickweed -- used in salads and also as ground cover
*Burdock -- roots are edible
*Lambsquarter s -- leaves and shoots, raw, also preventserosion , also distractsleaf miner s from nearby crops
*Shepherd's purse -- leaves are edible and often sauted or blanched*
Stinging nettle -- High nutritional value. Used like spinach.
*Purslane -- prepared raw for salads or sautéed
*Watercress -- can be eaten raw or cooked; is considered a weed in some cultures
*Dandelion -- flowers can be used to make wine; leaves are edible and good for digestion; roots sometimes used as coffee substituteHabitat for beneficial insects
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Clover -- attracts predatory insects, also good for soil
*Solanum -- provides cover for predatory ground beetles which hunt aphids
*Pigweed /Amaranthus -- also shelters ground beetles, breaks up hard soil, allowing other plants to develop deeper roots
*Queen Anne's lace -- attracts predatory insects likelacewing s, its seeds contain estrogen and are used in folk/herbal medicine as a contraceptive, and its root breaks up hard soil/deadpan.
* Wildblackberry -- attracts predatory insects, and produces berries
*Motherwort -- attracts bees
*Wild mustard -- protects predatory insects
*Joe-Pye weed -- habitat for pollinators and predatory insects
*Aster -- habitat predatory insectshelter plants
* Normal
grass can be used as ground cover, especially in nitrogenous soils
*Purslane -- can be used to protect soil from erosionTrap Crops
Trap crop s draw potential pests away from the actual crop intended for cultivation*
Multiflora Rose -- distracts Japanese beetles from good crops (This is a non-nativeinvasive species in North America - see [http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/pubs/midatlantic/romu.htm link ] )
* Nasturtium -- attractscaterpillar s and aphids, so planting them alongside or around vegetables such as lettuce or cabbage will protect them, as the egg-laying insects will tend to prefer the nasturtium.
*Mustard -- attracts aphids, so planting around cabbages protects them. It also attracts ladybird beetles to multiply and spread from there.
*Cowpea -- attracts ladybird beetle, so planting around cotton fields protects them from sucking insects. It serve as source of food and niche.Medicinal use
* Bashful
mimosa -- various herbalist uses
*Rumex -- Dock, which commonly grows in association with nettle, is rumoured to cure or ease their sting. Crush a leaf before applying to affected area.Other
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Cannabis -- clothes can be made out ofhemp , as well as a form of paper both cheaper than and superior to wood-pulp paper. Fact|date=July 2008 The seeds can also be used in most of the same capacities assoybean s, both for food and as a source of vegetable oil and fuel alcohol. Plant matter can be smoked or eaten for its mind-altering effects. Seeds are high in Omega 3 and 6; a great source of fiber, potassium & protein. Fact|date=July 2008
*Dandelion -- Breaks up dense soil, helping vegetable roots go deeper. If picked while in season, leaves and flowers are edible as a salad component. Repelsarmyworm s.
* Nightshade -- breaks uphardpan , allowing roots to grow deeper
* Wild Vetch -- the early cousin of thecover crop Hairy Vetch .References
* Peterson, L.A. & Peterson, R.T. (1999). "A Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants: Eastern and central North America." Houghton-Mifflin.
* Duke, J.A., Foster, S., & Peterson, R.T. (1999)." A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants and Herbs of Eastern and Central North America." Houghton-Mifflin.* Gibbon, E. (1988). "Stalking the Wild Asparagus." Alan C. Hood & Company.
* Sharma, O.P., R.C. Lavekar, K.S. Murthy and S.N. Puri. (2000). "Habitat diversity and predatory insects in cotton IPM : A case study of Maharashtra cotton eco-system. Radcliffe’s IPM world textbook. http:// www.ipmworld.umn.edu/chapters/ sharma.htm. Minnesota University, USAee also
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List of companion plants
*List of edible flowers
*List of repellent plants
*Beetle bank
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