Goutweed - Aegopodium podagraria
  • Ornamental used as a low maintenance groundcover
  • Flowering shoots are up to 1m tall; flowers are uncommon in heavy shade
  • Leaves mostly basal; 3 groups of 3 toothed leaflets arising from an underground stem
  • Cultivar 'Variegatum' is supposed to be less invasive than the dark green wild type, it can occasionally revert back to the wild type

The Problem

  • Can form a dense canopy excluding other herbaceous species and inhibiting the establishment of conifers and other tree species
  • Most colonies spread from plantings to forest edges and distured forests by means of rhizomes

Distribution

  • Does best in moist soil in light to moderate shade
  • Found in most Canadian provinces and northern USA