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What Plant is this? #763520

Asked July 23, 2021, 2:30 PM EDT

Please identify this plant for me. It sprang up in my flower garden this year. There are 35 plants in the horde. The tallest plant is 6 feet high now and just starting to bud, no blossoms yet. Is it a native? Is it a weed? Does it have any herbal or medicinal value or history? Thank you.

Douglas County Nebraska

Expert Response

Thanks for your question, Mary.  This weed goes by several names--horseweed and marestail. It is an annual and native to the Great Plains.  According to Weeds of Nebraska and the Great Plains (ISBN 0939870-00-5): "Horseweed contains volatile oils, tannic acid and gallic acid that may cause skin and mucosal irritation in humans and livestock, especially horses. Some Native Americans used this plant as an astringent. Early settlers used it to treat internal hemorrhage, diarrhea, and dysentery." 

Kathleen Cue Replied July 23, 2021, 2:57 PM EDT

Thanks for your question, Mary.  This weed goes by several names--horseweed and marestail. It is an annual and native to the Great Plains.  According to Weeds of Nebraska and the Great Plains (ISBN 0939870-00-5): "Horseweed contains volatile oils, tannic acid and gallic acid that may cause skin and mucosal irritation in humans and livestock, especially horses. Some Native Americans used this plant as an astringent. Early settlers used it to treat internal hemorrhage, diarrhea, and dysentery." 

Kathleen Cue Replied July 23, 2021, 2:58 PM EDT
Thank you.

On Friday, July 23, 2021, 1:58:32 PM CDT, Ask Extension <<personal data hidden>> wrote:


The Question Asker Replied July 23, 2021, 3:35 PM EDT

You are most welcome!

Kathleen Cue Replied July 23, 2021, 3:48 PM EDT

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