[Wikipedia] American Tropics native, Invasive: Parthenium hysterophorus is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae. It is native to the American tropics.[1] Common names include Santa-Maria,[2] Santa Maria feverfew,[3] whitetop weed,[4] and famine weed.[5] In India, it is locally known as carrot grass, congress grass or Gajar Ghas or Dhanura.[6] It is a common invasive species[7] in India,[8] Australia, and parts of Africa.[5]
Invasive species
Parthenium hysterophorus invades disturbed land, including roadsides. It infests pastures and farmland, causing often disastrous loss of yield, as reflected in common names such as famine weed.[9][10][11][12][13] In some areas, heavy outbreaks have been ubiquitous, affecting livestock and crop production, and human health (link added by Mary Ann Machi)