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| title | chunk | source | category | tags | date_saved | instance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beneficial weed | 2/2 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beneficial_weed | reference | science, encyclopedia | 2026-05-05T13:56:17.083758+00:00 | kb-cron |
== Beneficial insects == A common companion plant benefit from many weeds is to attract and provide habitat for beneficial insects or other organisms that benefit plants. For example, wild umbellifers attract predatory wasps and flies. The adults eat nectar, but they feed common garden pests to their offspring. Some weeds attract lady beetles or "good" types of nematodes, or provide ground cover for predatory beetles.
== Uses for humans == Some beneficial weeds, such as lamb's quarters and purslane, are edible and highly nutritional. Dandelions, a widespread invasive weed, were introduced to North America originally because they were considered a staple source of food; they were admired for maturing quickly and spreading vastly. A number of weeds have been proposed as natural alternate sources for latex (rubber), including goldenrod, from which the tires were made on the car famously given by Henry Ford to Thomas Edison. Cocklebur and stinging nettle have been used for natural dyes and medicinal purposes. Some plants seem to subtly improve the flavor of other plants around them. For example, stinging nettle, besides being edible if properly cooked, seems to increase essential oil production in nearby herbs.
== Examples ==
Clover, like other legumes, hosts bacteria that fix nitrogen in the soil. Its vining nature covers the ground, sheltering more moisture than it consumes, providing a humid, cooler microclimate for surrounding plants as a "green mulch". It also is preferred by rodents over many garden crops, reducing the loss of vegetable crops. Dandelions possess a deep, strong tap root that breaks up hard soil, benefiting weaker-rooted plants nearby and drawing up nutrients from deeper than shallower-rooted nearby plants can access. They will also excrete minerals and nitrogen through their roots, attract pollinators with their nectar, release ethylene that triggers nearby fruits to ripen, and serve as an important food source for insects and birds. Crow garlic, the wild chives found in sunny parts of a North American yard, has all of the companion plant benefits of other alliums, including repelling japanese beetles, aphids, and rodents, and is believed to benefit the flavor of solanums like tomatoes and peppers. It can be used as a substitute for garlic in cooking, though it may lend a bitter aftertaste. Daucus carota works as a nurse plant for nearby crops like lettuce, shading them from overly intense sunlight and keeping more humidity in the air. It attracts predatory wasps and flies that eat vegetable pests. It has a scientifically tested beneficial effect on nearby tomato plants. When it is young it has an edible root, revealing its relationship to the domesticated carrot.
== See also == Beneficial organism
== References ==
== Further reading == Schoonhoven, L.M., J. J. A van Loon, and Marcel Dicke. 2005. Insect-plant biology. Oxford University Press, London. Cover Crops - Living Mulches
== External links == Plants for a future -- Useful weeds Discover Beneficial Weeds in the Garden — offers a list of "soil indicator" weeds Insect Olfaction of Plant Odour