Bishop weed, or goutweed, is an aggressive perennial herb native to Europe and Asia, characterized by its distinctive triternate leaves and small white flowers. It has a robust vegetative reproduction through rhizomes and is highly invasive, often dominating areas at the expense of native flora. Control methods include physical removal and chemical herbicides, with a recommendation for re-vegetation after successful eradication.

1. Bishop Weed (Goutweed)
BY
Dr. S.SREEREMYA
FACULTY OF BIOLOGY

2. • Goutweed, also called as bishop's weed and snow on the
mountain, is an herbaceous perennial plant. It is one of several
species of Aegopodium, native to Europe and Asia.
• Most leaves are basal, with a leafstalk attached to an underground
stem, or rhizome. The leaves are divided into three groups of three
leaflets, making it "triternate." The leaflets are toothed and
sometimes much irregularly lobed. Foliage of the "wild" type is
medium green in color; a generally planted variegated form has
bluish green leaves with creamy white edges (Andersen et al.,
1996). Sometimes reversion back to solid green or a concoction of
solid green and the lighter variegated pattern occurs within a patch.
Small, white, five petaled flowers are produced in midsummer.

3. • SPECIES BIOLOGY AND PHENOLOGY
• Habitat
• Goutweed grows in copious fields, pastures, gardens,
and open forests. It prefers full sun, but is highly shade
tolerant, able to predominate forest under stories, and
does very well in light to moderate shade. Seedlings do
best in disturbed soil in sunny locations, and flowers
are fewer in dense shade. The leaves will die in adverse
conditions of intense heat or drought. This plant will
tolerate a vast range of soil quality and pH (Bates,
1937).

4. • Reproductive Strategy
• Goutweed is an aggressive perennial that
typically reproduces primarily vegetative through
a rhizome system. Seeds specifically require cold
stratification to germinate, and the seed bank is
short-lived. Seeds commonly will germinate the
next year after initial dispersal. New foliage
appears especially in early spring and flowers
bloom in June with small white umbels. The
seeds turn brown when they ripen in late
summer (Al Gharbi et al., 1984).

5. • Dispersal
• Existing populations aggrandizes rapidly through the rhizome system. The
plant will also spread through waterways. Humans are a major factor in
long-range dispersal of goutweed; it is a typically popular garden plant and
continues to be sold as an ornamental groundcover.
• Common Facts about Bishop Weed
• Ajwain, usually added as a seasoning to soups and curry bases, it is also
added to dough to make regular and flatbreads. It has a long shelf life and
can be stored in cool dry places. Its primary use in cooking is to reduce
stomach discomfort and synthesis of gas and indigestion. It is added to
foods to ease the digestion of that food. It can also be avaiiled as a
poultice when crushed.Other health benefits are it is rich source of fiber,
minerals, vitamins, and antioxidants. It contains the chemical thymol
which is used to treat coughs and colds

6. • Uses
• It is traditionally availed as a digestive aid, relieves
abdominal discomfort due to indigestion and
antiseptic. In southern parts of India dry ajwain seeds
are mainly powdered and soaked in milk, which is then
filtered and fed to babies. Many assume that it relieves
colic in babies and for kids it also improves the
digestion and appetite. Ajwain can be availed as
digestive mixture in large animals. In the northern part
of India, Ajwain is often consumed after a heavy meal.
It is commonly offered after dinner parties (Bellardi et
al., 2003).

7. • Indian Name of Spices
• Term Goutweed used in different Regional languages- Hindi : Ajwain
Bengali : Jowan or Joan Gujarati : Yavan Kannada : Oma Kashmiri :
Jawind Malayalam : Omum Marathi : Onva Oriya : Juani Punjabi :
Ajamoda, Avanika Sanskrit : Ajamoda, Avanika Tamil : Omum Telugu
: Vamu Urdu : Ajowain
• Ecological Impacts
• It is an aggressive invasive plant that often dominates the
herbaceous layer of forests, to the likely detriment of the native
plants. Effects on wildlife habitat warrant further study. Deer, for
example, seem to avoid this species when grazing in forests.
Horticulturalists recognize the highly invasive nature of this plant,
and many recommend that it not be planted.

8. • Control and Management
• Hand-pull is not affective because it difficult to remove the rhizomes and
stolons. Dig up of entire plants along with rhizome. Bag and discard pulled
plants. Frequent short mowing may control or slow the spread in lawns,
along roadsides, and other areas (Bender et al., 2000).
• CHEMICAL
• It can be effectively controlled availing any of several readily available
general use herbicides such as glyphosate. Contact herbicides are mainly
ineffective because goutweed readily leafs out again after defoliation.
Repeat applications may be necessary to decrease densities. Follow label
and state requirements. Once goutweed control has been achieved, re-
vegetation with native or non-invasive exotic plant materials is
recommended. This is particularly significant on sites where erosion is a
concern or where other invasive species are likely to colonize the site if
left alone (Borg-Karlson et al., 1994).

9. • Journal of Research in Pharmacognosy and
Natural Medicinal Products, Bishop Weed
(Goutweed), S. Sreeremya, 2018.Vol 1(1):1-7.