Mookuthi Poo / Gallant Soldier
Galinsoga parviflora
Also known as Smooth Galinsoga, Quick Weed
- Habit
- Herb
- Found in India
- Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Meghalaya & more
- Flowering
- December-April
How to identify Mookuthi Poo
Identify Mookuthi Poo by combining habit, leaf characters, flower or fruit details, location, and its family pattern. Do not rely on one feature alone.
- Look for a herb habit.
- Confirm leaf arrangement: Opposite.
- Confirm leaf margin: Toothed.
- Confirm flower colour: White.
- In season, compare flowering and fruiting time: December-April.
- In India, compare location records such as Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Meghalaya, Karnataka and nearby regions.
- Confirm it sits within the Asteraceae family pattern, then compare close relatives before deciding it is Mookuthi Poo.
Plant Details
- Scientific name
- Galinsoga parviflora
- Genus
- Galinsoga
- Family
- Asteraceae
- Habit
- Herb
- Habitat
- Wastelands, dry deciduous forests and shola forests
- Native to
- Tropical south America
- Distribution
- Cosmopolitan
- Found in India
- Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Meghalaya, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Jammu & Kashmir, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Maharashtra, Manipur, Rajasthan, Sikkim
- Flowering & fruiting
- December-April
- Conservation status
- Not Evaluated (NE)
Leaf characters
- Leaf arrangement
- OppositerecordedTwo leaves arise from the stem at the same point, facing each other.“It is a branched herb with opposite stalked leaves, toothed at the margins.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf margin
- ToothedrecordedA saw-like or jagged edge (serrate or dentate).“It is a branched herb with opposite stalked leaves, toothed at the margins.” — Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Leaf surface
- Hirsute (coarsely hairy)recorded
Typical of the family
Characters marked “recorded” are for Mookuthi Poo itself; the rest are typical of the Asteraceae family.
Flower & fruit characters
- Flower colour
- Whiterecorded
Typical of the family
- Flower symmetry
- Actinomorphic (radially symmetrical)
- Inflorescence
- Head
- Fruit
- Achene
Characters marked “recorded” are for Mookuthi Poo itself; the rest are typical of the Asteraceae family — flowering plants only.
Local Names
- Tamil
- மூக்குத்தி பூ Mookuthi Poo, மூக்குத்தி
About Mookuthi Poo
A member of the Asteraceae family, Gallant soldier (Galinsoga parviflora) is a herb. In India it has been recorded in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Meghalaya and 9 other states. It grows in wastelands, dry deciduous forests and shola forests. Flowering and fruiting run from December to April.
Uses
Locally it is grown for parts that are eaten.
Asteraceae
Daisy/Sunflower family
Mookuthi Poo belongs to the Asteraceae family.
The illustration represents the family — not necessarily this exact species.
Explore the Asteraceae familySnap it. Know it.
Point your camera at Mookuthi Poo or any plant and SASYA identifies it instantly — on-device, offline, and private.
Common plant problems
If you are starting from symptoms instead of a diagnosis, use the plant disease symptom checker to narrow the cause before treating.
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