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Ageratum houstonianum - Mill.

Common Name Ageratum, Bluemink, Floss Flower, Garden
Family Asteraceae or Compositae
USDA hardiness Coming soon
Known Hazards None known
Habitats Pine woods and cultivated ground[72].
Range South-western N. America - Mexico. An occasional garden escape in Britain[17].
Edibility Rating    (0 of 5)
Other Uses    (0 of 5)
Weed Potential No
Medicinal Rating    (1 of 5)
Care (info)
Frost Hardy Well drained soil Moist Soil Full sun
Ageratum houstonianum Ageratum, Bluemink, Floss Flower,  Garden


http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Magnus_Manske
Ageratum houstonianum Ageratum, Bluemink, Floss Flower,  Garden
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Magnus_Manske

 

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Summary

Bloom Color: Blue, Pink, Purple, White. Main Bloom Time: Early summer, Early fall, Late summer, Late spring, Mid summer, Mid spring. Form: Rounded.


Physical Characteristics

 icon of manicon of flower
Ageratum houstonianum is a ANNUAL growing to 0.3 m (1ft) by 0.3 m (1ft in) at a medium rate.
See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 8. It is in flower from June to October, and the seeds ripen from August to October. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Lepidoptera (Moths & Butterflies).
Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry or moist soil.

UK Hardiness Map US Hardiness Map

Synonyms

A. caeruleum. A. mexicanum.

Plant Habitats

Woodland Garden Sunny Edge;

Edible Uses

None known

References   More on Edible Uses

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Anodyne

The juice of the plant is used externally to treat cuts and wounds[272].

References   More on Medicinal Uses

The Bookshop: Edible Plant Books

Our Latest books on Perennial Plants For Food Forests and Permaculture Gardens in paperback or digital formats.

Food Forest Plants for Hotter Conditions: 250+ Plants For Tropical Food Forests & Permaculture Gardens.
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Food Forest Plants for Hotter Conditions: 250+ Plants For Tropical Food Forests & Permaculture Gardens.

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Plants for Your Food Forest: 500 Plants for Temperate Food Forests & Permaculture Gardens.
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Other Uses

None known

Special Uses

References   More on Other Uses

Cultivation details

Landscape Uses:Border, Container, Massing, Rock garden, Specimen. Grows well in ordinary garden soil[200]. Requires a sheltered position in full sun[200]. This species is not hardy in the colder areas of the country, it tolerates temperatures down to between -5 and -10°c[200]. A very ornamental plant[1], the flowers are very attractive to butterflies[30]. The removal of dead flowers will extend the flowering season. Special Features:North American native, Attracts butterflies, Suitable for cut flowers, Seldomly reblooms.

References   Carbon Farming Information and Carbon Sequestration Information

Temperature Converter

Type a value in the Celsius field to convert the value to Fahrenheit:

Fahrenheit:

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The PFAF Bookshop

Plants For A Future have a number of books available in paperback and digital form. Book titles include Edible Plants, Edible Perennials, Edible Trees,Edible Shrubs, Woodland Gardening, and Temperate Food Forest Plants. Our new book is Food Forest Plants For Hotter Conditions (Tropical and Sub-Tropical).

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Plant Propagation

Seed - surface sow March in a light position in a greenhouse. The seed usually germinates in 1 - 3 weeks at 20°c[133]. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out and plant them out after the last expected frosts.

Other Names

If available other names are mentioned here

Native Range

NORTHERN AMERICA: Mexico (Chiapas, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Morelos, Nayarit, Oaxaca, Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave) SOUTHERN AMERICA: Belize, Honduras

Weed Potential

Right plant wrong place. We are currently updating this section. Please note that a plant may be invasive in one area but may not in your area so it’s worth checking.

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants Status :

Related Plants
Latin NameCommon NameHabitHeightHardinessGrowthSoilShadeMoistureEdibleMedicinalOther
Achillea ageratumMace, Sweet-nancyPerennial0.6 6-9  LMHNDM20 
Ageratum conyzoidesGoatweed, Tropical whiteweedAnnual1.0 8-11  LMHNM032

Growth: S = slow M = medium F = fast. Soil: L = light (sandy) M = medium H = heavy (clay). pH: A = acid N = neutral B = basic (alkaline). Shade: F = full shade S = semi-shade N = no shade. Moisture: D = dry M = Moist We = wet Wa = water.

 

Expert comment

Author

Mill.

Botanical References

72200

Links / References

For a list of references used on this page please go here

Readers comment

Charlie brooke   Sat Sep 25 10:45:13 2004

i think this is a great idea as i was doing some work on that particle flower i am very impressed with this site and shall use it more often now that i have found out about it Thankyou very much

Dan Jacobson   Tue Feb 21 2006

Tons here at 800 meters in Taiwan

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