1 / 10

Praxelis clematidea

pussyfoot

Attracts Pollinators Attracts Butterflies

Overview

Praxelis clematidea is an erect annual or short-lived perennial herb in the daisy family, growing 12-40 inches (30-100 cm) tall. The opposite leaves are 0.8-2.4 inches (2-6 cm) long, oval, and coarsely toothed, and the crushed foliage gives off a strong, unpleasant smell. Flower heads 0.3-0.5 inch (8-12 mm) wide, lavender to blue-purple and without ray petals, are carried in branched clusters at the stem tips. Each plant produces large numbers of small wind- and water-borne seeds and sets seed within weeks of germinating. Praxelis clematidea is native to South America and is a declared environmental and agricultural weed in Queensland and other parts of northern Australia, where it invades pastures, crops, roadsides, and disturbed ground. It resembles blue billygoat weed, Ageratum spp. species, and is told apart by the pointed, toothed leaves and the conical seed-head base. It grows quickly in warm, moist conditions and dies back in dry or cold periods.

Native Range

Praxelis clematidea is native to South America, including Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Bolivia. It has spread as a weed through tropical and subtropical regions of Australia, Asia, and the Pacific, mainly on disturbed and cultivated ground.

Suggested Uses

Praxelis clematidea has no horticultural use and is treated as a weed across its introduced range. It is listed for control rather than planting in Queensland and other northern Australian areas.

How to Identify

Identify by the opposite, coarsely toothed leaves 0.8-2.4 inches (2-6 cm) long that smell strongly when crushed, and the lavender to blue-purple flower heads 0.3-0.5 inch (8-12 mm) wide without ray petals. It resembles Ageratum spp. but has more pointed, sharply toothed leaves and a raised conical base inside each seed head. Stems are upright and branch in the upper part.

Appearance

Size & Dimensions

Height1' - 3'4"

Width/Spread8" - 1'8"

Colors

Flower Colors

Foliage Colors

Fall Foliage Colors

Bloom Information

Bloom Period

~12 weeks

Spring Summer Fall

Flowering can occur year-round in warm climates, with the heaviest flowering in the wet summer months. Plants flower within a few weeks of germinating and set seed continuously while conditions stay warm and moist. Flowering slows in dry or cool weather.

Detailed Descriptions

Flower Description

lavender to blue-purple

Foliage Description

green

Growing Conditions

Sun Requirements

SunFull Sun

Requires 6-12 hours of direct sunlight daily

• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight

• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight

• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight

Soil Requirements

pH Range5.0 - 7.5(Neutral)

357912

Soil Types

sand loam clay

Drainageaverage

Water & Climate

Water Needs

Medium

Care & Maintenance

Care Guide

Praxelis clematidea grows in full sun on a wide range of soils, favouring warm, moist, disturbed ground. It is not a cultivated plant and spreads as a weed from abundant seed that germinates quickly after rain. In farmland and natural areas it competes with pasture and native ground flora. Control relies on removing plants before they set seed, repeated cultivation, or registered herbicides, together with cleaning soil and machinery to limit seed movement. It has no frost tolerance and is killed by hard frost.

Pruning

No pruning is practised, since the plant is managed as a weed rather than grown. Cutting or slashing before seed set reduces spread, but plants can reshoot and flower again from the base while soil moisture remains. Lifting whole plants with the roots works better than cutting alone.

⚠️ Toxicity Warning

Unknown