Beneficial Weeds

Beneficial weeds can be classed in a number of categories. Categories of Beneficial Weeds
Pest-repellant
Crow garlic -- a wild allium which repels certain insect pests and is edible
Cocklebur -- repels armyworms
Goldenrod -- repels some bad insects and shelters several useful predatory species
Milkweed -- repels wireworms
Caper Spurge -- believed to repel moles
Neem -- repels leaf eating insects
Edible
Cornflower --various colors; can be served as edible garnish to decorate salads.
Painter's brush weed Chickweed -- used in salads and also as ground cover
Burdock -- roots are edible
Lamb's quarters -- leaves and shoots, raw, also prevents erosion, also distracts leaf miners from nearby crops
Shepherd's purse -- leaves are edible and often sauted or blanched
Stinging nettle -- High nutritional value. Used like spinach.
Purslane -- prepared raw for salads or sautéed Watercress -- can be eaten raw or cooked; is considered a weed in some cultures
Dandelion -- flowers can be used to make wine; leaves are edible and good for digestion; roots sometimes used as coffee substitute
Wild Mustard-- leaves and flowers can be eaten raw in salads.
Habitat for beneficial insects
Clover -- attracts predatory insects, also good for soil Solanum -- provides cover for predatory ground beetles which hunt aphids
Pigweed / Amaranthus -- also shelters ground beetles, breaks up hard soil, allowing other plants to develop deeper roots
Queen Anne's lace -- attracts predatory insects like lacewings, its seeds contain estrogen and are used in folk/herbal medicine as a contraceptive, and its root breaks up hard soil/deadpan.
Wild blackberry -- attracts predatory insects, and produces berries
Motherwort -- attracts bees
Wild mustard -- protects predatory insects
Joe-Pye weed -- habitat for pollinators and predatory insects
Aster -- habitat predatory insects
Shelter plants
Normal grass can be used as ground cover, especially in nitrogenous soils
Purslane -- can be used to protect soil from erosion Trap Crops
Trap crops draw potential pests away from the actual crop intended for cultivation
Multiflora Rose -- distracts Japanese beetles from good crops
Nasturtium -- attracts caterpillars and aphids, so planting them alongside or around vegetables such as lettuce or cabbage will protect them, as the egg-laying insects will tend to prefer the nasturtium.
Mustard -- attracts aphids, so planting around cabbages protects them. It also attracts ladybird beetles to multiply and spread from there.
Cowpea -- attracts ladybird beetle, so planting around cotton fields protects them from sucking insects. It serve as source of food and niche.
Medicinal use
Bashful mimosa -- various herbalist uses
Rumex -- Dock, which commonly grows in association with nettle, is rumoured to cure or ease their sting. Crush a leaf before applying to affected area.
Other
Nightshade -- breaks up hardpan, allowing roots to grow deeper
Wild Vetch -- the early cousin of the cover crop Hairy Vetch.
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beneficial weeds