Blue Mink

Family: Asteraceae
Scientific name: Ageratum houstonianum
Description: Plant Form: Erect annual herb. Size: Up to 1 m tall. Stem: Covered in fine white hairs, becoming woody towards base with age. Leaves: Bright green, vary from triangular to egg-shaped. Up to 7 cm long and with a sparse covering of hairs on both sides. Flowers: Blue, lavender or sometimes white, in dense cluster of flowerheads each with 5-15 flowers giving overall pom-pom like appearance. With bracts covered in sticky hairs. Fruit and Seeds: Black, with 5 whitish bristles. Habitat: Pastures, wetlands, waste areas, old gardens, cropping areas. Distinguishing Features: Distinguished from very similar Billygoat weed (Ageratum conyzoides) by having many sticky hairs on flower bracts. Distinguished from Praxelis (Praxelis clematidea) by having blunt rather than sharp toothed edges. Weed Status: Other Weed Weed Type: Environmental, Invasive Garden Escapee Lifeform: Herbaceous

Example images for this weed