Wandering Cudweed

Biological Name:

Gnaphalium wandae (Wandering-Cudweed)

Natural Habitat:

Wandering-Cudweed: This plant is native to North America and typically grows in dry, open habitats such as fields, roadsides, and rocky slopes. It is commonly found in the western United States and Canada.

Description:

Wandering-Cudweed is a perennial herb that is native to North America. It has small white flowers and narrow pointed leaves. It is often found in dry open areas and spreads by seeds and rhizomes.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: Is wandering cudweed edible?
A: You may not have even known you could eat it. Cudweed is not bitter, nor hairy and is actually quite pleasant with its mild flavour providing a new option to add to salads, soups, pesto and smoothies. Cudweed is native to South America and is common all over the North Island of NZ and parts of the South Island.
Source

Q: What is the deadliest plant in PA?
A: A feathery-leafed plant that’s spreading across Pennsylvania isn’t a wildflower but a poisonous weed that can kill. Poison hemlock is a common plant found throughout central Pennsylvania and beyond. It tends to grow along roadsides, railroad tracks, streambanks, and in meadows.
Source

Q: What is another name for cudweed?
A: Cudweed is also known by the Latin names Pseudognaphalium spp., Gamochaeta spp.
Source

Q: Is cudweed rabbit a tobacco?
A: Pseudognaphalium californicum (syn. Gnaphalium californicum) is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by several common names, including ladies’ tobacco, California rabbit tobacco, California cudweed, and California everlasting.
Source

Q: Which flower human can eat?
A: They are the Hibiscus, Rose (heirloom variety such as Edward), Moringa flowers (drumstick), Roselle (gongura) and Basil flowers. It is perfect to prepare tea, soups, powders .
Source

Q: Is cudweed good for anything?
A: Cudweed is an herb. The parts that grow above the ground are used to make medicine. People use cudweed for conditions such as high blood pressure, stomach ulcers, diarrhea, gut infections, and many others, but there is no good scientific evidence to support these uses.
Source

Q: Is cudweed poisonous?
A: The cause of death appears to have been nitrate poisoning from cudweed, a common late-winter weed not widely recognized as a hazard.
Source

Q: What plants should you stay away from?
A: Rosary Pea (Abrus precatorius)Castor Bean (Ricinus communis) … Angel’s Trumpet (Brugmansia) … Manchineel Tree (Hippomane mancinella) … White Snakeroot (Ageratina altissima) … Oleander (Nerium oleander) … Nightshade (Atropa belladonna) … Water Hemlock (Cicuta maculata) …
Source

Q: What does cudweed smell like?
A: Description: California Cudweed is a plant native to the west coast, from Baja California up to Washington state. It is from the family Asteraceae, known also as the “Daisy”” family. Its scientific name is Pseudognaphalium californicum. The plant’s leaves have an aroma like maple syrup.”
Source

Q: Is cudweed the same as rabbit tobacco?
A: Pseudognaphalium californicum (syn. Gnaphalium californicum) is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by several common names, including ladies’ tobacco, California rabbit tobacco, California cudweed, and California everlasting.
Source

Q: What do you spray on cudweed?
A: Products labeled to treat Cudweed.Pendulum AquaCap Herbicide 2.5 Gallon.Pendulum 2G Granular Herbicide.Pendulum 3.3 EC Herbicide.Dismiss Turf Herbicide.Dismiss South Herbicide.Solitare Herbicide.Casoron 4G Herbicide.
Source

Q: Is cudweed an annual or perennial?
A: Most cudweed species are annuals. Purple cudweed, Gnaphalium purpureum, is either a winter or summer annual, or biennial, as some plants will survive into the second year to mature, thereby behaving as a biennial. Creeping cudweed, G. collinum, is a perennial.
Source

Q: How do I get rid of cudweed?
A: Cudweed is a persistent weed with glossy leaves that makes it hard to control. Control cudweed by diluting Dismiss in water and spraying the solution wherever this weed is present. Avoid cutting your grass too short and consider applying fertilizer to your lawn to prevent cudweed from returning.
Source

Q: What herbicide kills cudweed?
A: A thick lawn leaves no empty spots for cudweed to colonize. How to Kill It: Apply a broadleaf weedkiller like Ortho Weed-B-Gon or Spectracide Weed-Stop according to label directions.
Source

Q: How do you identify cudweed?
A: Shiny cudweed (Gamochaeta coarctata) has leaves that are glossy green on the upper surface and white and densely hairy on the underside of the leaf. Wandering cudweed (Gamochaeta pensylvanica) has soft hairs and a light green color on both leaf surfaces.
Source

Q: Is cudweed invasive?
A: Marsh Cudweed (Gnaphalium uliginosum) is a diminutive annual wildflower. It was originally native to Europe but found its way to North America, becoming invasive and considered a noxious weed. It can overtake native foliage in small marshes, bogs, and wetlands.
Source

About the author

Samuel is a gardening professional and enthusiast who has spent over 20 years advising homeowners and farm owners on weed identification, prevention and removal. He has an undergraduate degree in plant and soil science from Michigan State University.