Blue Billygoat Weed

Blue billygoat weed is a strange name for a strange plant.

Blue billygoat weeds are an annual plant, native to areas of Central America and Mexico.
Blue billygoat weeds have the scientific name Ageratum houstonianum and are from the family Asteraceae, the family of asters and daisies.
‘Blue billygoat weeds’ are also known as ‘blueweeds’, ‘floss flowers’, ‘blueminks’, ‘pussy foots’, ‘Mexican paintbrushes’ and ‘goatweeds’, among others.
Blue billygoat weed typically grows to be 30 to 100 centimetres (1 to 3.3 feet) in height and the leaves grow to be 2 to 7 centimetres (0.8 to 2.8 inches) in length.
Blue billygoat weed has small seeds that are coloured brown to black, and are covered in small scales that look like hairs.

Blue billygoat weed is often used for ornamental purposes, such as in gardens, and some of the cultivars have been awarded the British Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit.
The flowers of blue billygoat weed can be blue, pink, white or purple in colour, and the flower heads are covered with numerous, clustered, tiny tubular flowers, that are thread-like in appearance.
Blue billygoat weed contains a chemical that causes premature moulting in insects, and they can be poisonous to animals such as sheep and cows, causing liver problems.
Blue billygoat weed has been classified as an invasive weed in many areas, such as parts of the United States, Asia, New Zealand, Europe, Africa and Australia.
Blue billygoat weeds are readily grown from seeds, that are easily spread in water and wind, and this is the main cause of its widespread weed status.

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