World Plants

Ambrosia artemisiifolia (Common Ragweed)

Family	Asteraceae
Genus	Ambrosia
Species	artemisiifolia
Category	Wildflowers & Weeds
Origin	Native to North America.
Ethnobotanical Uses Disclaimer	Native Americans used this as a herbal medicine, both externally and internally. Major cause of hay fever, an allergic reaction to its wind-borne pollen during, the late summer and early autumn. Today the pollen is harvested commercially for use in pharmaceuticals designed to treat hay fever.

Shape	Widespread.
Propagation	Seed.
Cultivation	Full sun. Will thrive in clay, gravel or sand but prefers sterile soil. Drought resistant.
Pests	Ragweed, caterpillars and moths.
Habitat	Weedy meadows and cropland.
Flower/Leaf Bud Description	Seeds are produced which can remain viable for 5 years or more.
Leaf Description	Hairy stems. The leaves are 15 cm long, 10 cm wide and opposite or alternate along the stem. Deeply pinnatifid, broadly lanceolate and much wider at the base than the tip. Small emergent leaves often have hairs on their underside.
Flower Description	Small flowers that matures into achenes. Each flower is about 3 mm long. Male flowers produce pollen. Many of the upper stems terminate in one or more cylindrical spikes of flowers that are half as long as the leaves.
Colour Description	The stem is a green to light pinkish-red colour. The small flowers are initially green but turn a yellowish-green or brown as it matures.
Texture Description	Root system is fibrous.