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Species
Ambrosia trifida L.
IUCN
NCBI
EOL Text
Rounded Global Status Rank: T5 - Secure
Canada
Rounded National Status Rank: N5 - Secure
United States
Rounded National Status Rank: N5 - Secure
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Rights holder/Author | NatureServe |
Source | http://explorer.natureserve.org/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=Ambrosia+trifida |
This huge plant is probably an allergy sufferer's worst nightmare. It has some ecological value to various moths, but otherwise is less important than Ambrosia artemesiifolia (Common Ragweed). Giant Ragweed can be distinguished from other Ambrosia spp. (Ragweeds) by its palmately lobed leaves; other Ragweeds have leaves that are pinnatifid or bipinnatifid. The name of this genus of plants refers to ambrosia, "the food of the gods" in antiquity. This seems like a strange name for a group of unattractive plants, unless it refers to the value of the seeds of certain species from a bird's point of view. Return
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Copyright © 2002-2014 by Dr. John Hilty |
Source | http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/weeds/plants/giant_ragweed.htm |
Rounded Global Status Rank: G5 - Secure
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | NatureServe |
Source | http://explorer.natureserve.org/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=Ambrosia+trifida |
This is a native annual plant from 3-12' tall, branching occasionally. The green stems are covered with white hairs. The opposite leaves are up to 12" long and 8" across. The larger leaves are divided into 3 or 5 lobes, usually serrated along the margins, and have long petioles that are sometimes winged. The smaller leaves near the base of an inflorescence are lanceolate and often hairy underneath. Many of the upper stems terminate in a cylindrical spike of flowers, about 3-6" long, with one or more smaller spikes near its base. The small flowers are are yellowish green and devoid of petals and sepals. They occur in small drooping clusters less than ¼" across on short pedicels, and are densely arranged all around each spike. The fine pollen of the male flowers is easily carried aloft by the wind. This typically occurs during late summer or early fall. The seeds are large, tough-coated, and remain viable in the soil for several years. The root system is fibrous. Cultivation
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Copyright © 2002-2014 by Dr. John Hilty |
Source | http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/weeds/plants/giant_ragweed.htm |
Ambrosia trifida is a species of flowering plant in the aster family, Asteraceae. It is native to North America, where it is widespread in Canada, the United States, and northern Mexico. It is present in Europe and Asia as an introduced species, and it is known as a common weed in many regions.[2] Its common names include great ragweed, Texan great ragweed, giant ragweed, tall ragweed, blood ragweed, perennial ragweed, horseweed,[3] buffaloweed, and kinghead.[4]
Description[edit]
This is an annual herb usually growing up to 2 meters tall, but known to reach 6 meters in rich, moist soils. The tough stems have woody bases and are branching or unbranched.[4] Most leaves are oppositely arranged. The blades are variable in shape, sometimes palmate with five lobes, and often with toothed edges. The largest can be over 25 centimeters long by 20 wide. They are borne on petioles several centimeters long. They are glandular and rough in texture. The species is monoecious, with plants bearing inflorescences containing both pistillate and staminate flowers. The former are clustered at the base of the spike and the latter grow at the end. The fruit is a bur a few millimeters long tipped with several tiny spines.[1][5]
As a weed[edit]
This species is well known as a noxious weed, both in its native range and in areas where it is an introduced and often invasive species. It is naturalized in some areas, and it is recorded as an adventive species in others.[2] It grows in many types of disturbed habitat, such as roadsides, and in cultivated fields. Widespread seed dispersal occurs when its spiny burs fall off the plant and are carried to new habitat by people, animals, machinery, or flowing water. The plant is destructive to native and crop plants because it easily outcompetes them for light.[4]
As an allergen[edit]
There is also great interest in preventing the spread of this plant because its pollen is a significant human allergen.[6] It is one of the most familiar allergenic ragweeds, and residents of different regions begin to experience allergic symptoms as the plant spreads into the area.[7]
Uses[edit]
Native Americans had a number of uses for the plant as traditional medicine. The Cherokee used it as a remedy for insect stings, hives, fever, and pneumonia, and the Iroquois used it to treat diarrhea.[8]
Giant ragweed has been used successfully as a compost activator and an ingredient in sheet mulch gardens.[9]
Gallery[edit]
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Illustration by Carl Axel Magnus Lindman
References[edit]
- ^ a b Ambrosia trifida. Flora of North America.
- ^ a b Ambrosia trifida. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).
- ^ Ambrosia trifida. Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS).
- ^ a b c Ambrosia spp. Encycloweedia. California Department of Food and Agriculture.
- ^ Ambrosia trifida. The Jepson eFlora 2013.
- ^ Ghosh, B., et al. (1991). Cloning the cDNA encoding the AmbtV allergen from giant ragweed (Ambrosia trifida) pollen. Gene 101(2), 231-38.
- ^ Makra, L., et al. (2005). The history and impacts of airborne Ambrosia (Asteraceae) pollen in Hungary. Grana 44(1), 57-64.
- ^ Ambrosia trifida. Native American Ethnobotany. University of Michigan, Dearborn.
- ^ Stallings, Ben. "Ragweed: Curse or Blessing, the Choice is Yours". Permaculture News. Permaculture Research Institute. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Wikipedia |
Source | http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ambrosia_trifida&oldid=633327178 |
Giant Ragweed is a common plant that occurs in every county of Illinois (see Distribution Map). It can be found in disturbed areas of moist to mesic black soil prairies, especially along the margins near woodlands or fields. Other native habitats include disturbed areas of moist clay prairies, meadows in woodland areas or near rivers, thickets, and woodland borders. In more developed areas, it occurs in vacant lots, cropland, abandoned fields, poorly drained waste areas, areas along roadsides and railroads, and fence rows. Faunal Associations
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Copyright © 2002-2014 by Dr. John Hilty |
Source | http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/weeds/plants/giant_ragweed.htm |
The name Ambrosia ×helenae Rouleau applies to hybrids between A. artemisiifolia and A. trifida. Hybrids between A. bidentata and A. trifida have been recorded. Ambrosia trifida may be no longer extant in British Columbia.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | eFloras.org Copyright © Missouri Botanical Garden |
Source | http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=200023073 |
United States
Origin: Unknown/Undetermined
Regularity: Regularly occurring
Currently: Unknown/Undetermined
Confidence: Confident
Canada
Origin: Native
Regularity: Regularly occurring
Currently: Present
Confidence: Confident
United States
Origin: Native
Regularity: Regularly occurring
Currently: Present
Confidence: Confident
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | NatureServe |
Source | http://explorer.natureserve.org/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=Ambrosia+trifida |